Return to Planet 51
by Mr. Gregor Samsa
Summary: A team of two scientists is sent back to Planet 51 for study and research. But what if the humans want more from their planet that just research? Lem finds himself caught in the middle. Are the humans hostile after all? Chuck/Lem,minorGrawl/OC
1. Chapter 1

_Dear Readers,_

_Ok, so yes, I have 2 other unfinished stories, but the plot bunnies wouldn't let me sleep last night until I wrote this down!  
Oh snap, Planet 51. I loved this movie, plot holes and all. And speaking of plot holes, there are several things I won't be addressing in this fic, like why their cultures are so similar and ridiculous movie things like that. We, the readers and writers of P51 fanfiction, accept that the movie was absolutely ridiculous and we accept it as it is.  
This fic is the tiniest bit more on the serious side, lots of humor thrown in, but mostly targeted at the older audience that watched the movie just for the ridiculous ChuckxLem gayness. Rated M for mostly languge (mostly).  
Don't let my OC throw you off. She's a minor character, but Chuck was just too incompitent to send back on his own. Srsly.  
Ok, enough Authors noteing, and on with the story! _

_Mr. Gregor Samsa_

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**Chapter 1 - The Arrival of Astraeus**

A distant rumbling woke Lem from his restless slumber. He rubbed sleep from his eyes, sitting up in his bed. The rumbling grew louder, jarring him from his sleepy haze. His first instinct told him to panic, run for the basement and hide until the sun came up. His second instinct told him to think rationally, reach for the light to chase away the darkness that invaded his room. He chose the latter, clicking on the small bedside lamp to reveal his under decorated apartment bedroom. The rumbling did not stop.

Lem slowly made his way down the stairs and out into the dark street, the only light provided by a single street lamp that flickered self-consciously in the early hours of the morning. Lem's head turned upwards, his chest constricting with false hope. How long had it been? Four years? Five? He couldn't really remember. He had stopped counting once he convinced himself Chuck would probably never come back. Yet here he stood, sleep shirt and slippers, in the middle of the street in the dead of night, eyes turned to the heavens. Others slowly began filtering into the street as well; their morbid curiosity was enough to counter the fear of that mysterious rumbling that grew increasingly louder.

Lem found himself sprinting to his car. The ship in the sky had appeared out of nowhere, barreling towards the planet's surface, engulfed in flame. Lem could feel his pulse in his throat as he took off in the general direction of the rocket's trajectory, his car hovering along as fast as it would go, the piece of junk that it was. He could no longer see the ship in the sky, meaning that it had to have landed somewhere in the center of town. Pressing down harder on the go pedal, his car whined reluctantly, but sped up none-the-less. Lem's ears felt hot.

A small crowd had gathered around the steaming ship when Lem finally arrived at the recreational park in the center of the small town. Despite the fact that the ship had managed to land successfully, the doors remained closed. Weary wives peered out from behind their equally weary husbands, holding their children to their breast. Teenagers dared one another to get closer, though none mustered up the courage to do so. Lem simply stood there in the frigid night air, gaping up at the UFO in front of him.

"Chuck?" he dared to whisper, almost as if he expected the aliens inside this ship to hear him if he spoke too loudly. The ship, however, remained unresponsive, and continued to show absolutely no interest in the planet and creatures around it for several hours. Lem had returned to his car, a sinking feeling in his gut. He did not return to his apartment, however, but sat there, eyes glued to the center of the park. Soon his lids became heavy and he found himself reluctantly falling asleep.

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Lem woke several hours later to a stiff neck and the sound of heavy vehicles gliding by. He wearily climbed out of his car and stumbled over towards the much larger crowd that had gathered around the ship. In the daylight, Lem could see how much bigger the ship was in comparison to the one Chuck had come in last time. It was a similar design, though it was much wider and appeared to have an extra level in the middle. Swallowing nervously, Lem made his way to the front of the crowd where a string of Caution tape separated him from the alien vessel. The military had swarmed the area while he had slept, and was now controlling everything up to the number of breaths each bystander took. Off to the side, Lem could see the ever vigilant General Grawl ordering soldiers off in every direction while eyeing the ship suspiciously. Lem couldn't help but bring a hand to his face as a scrawny soldier toddled over to hand Grawl a megaphone. This should be interesting.

"Attention any and all alien life aboard this ship. This is General Grawl speaking and we demand that you open your doors immediately." He bellowed, receiving murmurs of agreement from the crowd behind him

It took several more minutes of hushed anticipation before a hissing sound filled the air and the doors of the ship slowly began to lower. Lem didn't realize he had been holding his breath until the air rushed back into his lungs as the ship door finally hit the ground and a figure appeared. Lem felt his heart drop into his feet as he quickly realized it was not Chuck.

The figure appeared to be a female human, taller than any woman Lem had ever seen on his planet. She wore a similar blue jumpsuit that Chuck had worn and had her human hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. She was clearly not amused by the swarm of soldiers aiming their guns at her chest. Slowly she raised her hands in surrender. General Grawl stepped forward, eyeing her apprehensively.

"You are human." He observed, motioning behind him for the guns to be lowered.

"I am." Came the curt reply, her grey eyes sizing up the General.

"State your business." He commanded. The woman seemed to straighten up, as though she had prepared to give an explanation from the start.

"My name is Vera Hawes, commanding science officer for NASA and co-leader of the Astraeus Mission for the return to Planet 51. We are here to conduct scientific research of a peaceful nature in which we hope to gain insight regarding your various energy sources. Our stay will be limited to one Earth month and shall be unobtrusive and purely for the sake of information retrieval. If these terms are deemed unsuitable by the intelligent inhabitants of Planet 51, negotiations may be maid, but research is to be conducted regardless." She concluded her speech, nodding and placing her hands behind her back. Lem felt his head swim. Research? Mission? Energy? What did his planet offer that the advanced Earth could possibly want? He was brought back to the present situation by the sound of General Grawl clearing his throat.

"You said "we." Are there more humans with you?" he asked, peering around her and into the ship.

"Yes sir, I am accompanied by Captain Charles Baker. I believe you have been previously acquainted." She replied, turning around to look back at the ship.

"Chuck?" Lem called from the crowd, drawing the attention of several members of the crowd, including Grawl and the human's. A small smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

"Charles, you're wanted planet side. Get your ass out here." She spoke into her wrist. Chucks irritated voice sounded from her wrist with a "Don't get your panties in a twist! This suit is hard to get out of."

Lem couldn't help himself. He slid under the Caution line and jogged over to where the human was standing.

"Young man, I'm going to have to ask you to return to the safety zone." A bulky soldier demanded, stepping in Lem's path.

"No, you don't understand. I'm…"

"Lem!" Came an all too familiar voice from the opening of the ship. Lem ducked around the soldier to see Chuck beaming at him from the capsule. He rushed forward and practically knocked the human over with the force of his embrace. Chuck laughed, squeezing him a little too hard before setting him down.

"Oh man, I'm so glad you're not dead." Chuck exhaled, clapping Lem on the shoulder.

"Dead!? Why would I be dead?" Lem looked around, shocked and slightly confused. Chuck shrugged.

"I didn't really know how you guys age, y'know? I just figured the worst and assumed that 5 years to me is like a gazillion years to you." He explained, waving his hand around to signify 'a gazillion.' Lem couldn't help but laugh. It was Chuck, quirks and all.

"This is kinda weird, not gonna lie." He admitted. "I mean, I never really expected to see you again. It's kinda… surreal."

"Right there with you buddy." Chuck agreed. "When they told me I was going back, it was like a dream come true. Cause this time, I figured I wouldn't be chased around by the military…" He glanced over in Grawl's direction, who appeared to be intensely focused on their conversation. "…as much."

"Not that this isn't touching…" the human female began. "But Charles, we really need to get the authorization we need to set up camp." She turned to General Grawl. "Do I need to seek permission from your leader? We need to set up a base camp from which we will conduct all of our research. We need to know what location you would prefer." She asked, returning to her original formality. Grawl seemed to consider this for a moment before straightening up.

"We would be glad to escort you to a feasible location until all diplomacies have been resolved, Commander. Until then, I personally grant you permission to remain on the planet." Grawl concluded, seeming to swell with pride at his authority. Vera gave a curt nod before turning on her heel and marching back up into the ship. Chuck turned back to Lem, rolling his eyes.

"She's a bit of a tight ass, but overall not too bad." He said with a wink before turning and following in Vera's wake. Lem smiled, feeling light headed.

---------------

It took several hours to move the ship to a safe location just outside of town near, what was formally known as, Base 9. Vera put up a bit of a fuss in regards to the utter desolation of the area chosen to be their "station" but eventually agreed after Lem offered to escort them into town whenever the need arose.

"It's no worry." Vera assured, running a hand irritably through her hair. "I work better with rocks than I do people anyways." She trailed off thoughtfully, stooping over to pick up a small rock about to size of her palm.

"Believe it or not, that's rain." Chuck informed her, pursing his lips and nodding sagely. She gave him a skeptical look.

"Raining rocks? That's just ridiculous."

"So is finding a whole alien race that speaks English and shares a scarily similar culture, but hey, nobody else is asking questions, so neither am I." Chuck retorted with a shrug as he began to get to work setting up a small pop-up trailer.

"This will be sufficient then?" Grawl asked, having lost his men to awe over the alien technology. Vera nodded curtly, approaching him with an extended hand.

"Thank you very much for your lack of hostility." She said with a smile as she firmly grasped his four-fingered hand. Grawl half smiled in return.

"Captain Baker saved my life once, despite all prejudices against him. It's the least I can do." He assured before signaling for his men to roll out as he stepped into his own military car. "If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to call on us." Grawl called from the slowly receding vehicles.

Lem had chosen to stay off to the side initially, watching from the safety of his car. Chuck had aged, but only slightly. His face seemed sharper and he had a small amount of human hair on his chin. Lem wondered if he looked any different to Chuck. The only noticeable difference, to him anyways, was that he had gotten the tiniest bit taller, though most people were still dwarfed by the height of the humans. The girl was fascinating. She was almost the same height as Chuck with slim features and a hardened expression she wore almost constantly, save for a few rare smirks. Her steely grey eyes made Lem feel as though he was under constant scrutiny and her human hair was almost golden in color, reflecting the light in a way Lem didn't know possible.

His analysis of the second human was interrupted as a beaming Chuck began to approach him, waving for him to get out of the car.

"Lem! Wanna see all the cool sciencey stuff we do?" He asked excitedly, receiving a huff from Vera in the background.

"Sure, but don't expect me to understand anything." Lem warned, smiling sheepishly as he tossed his slippers into the car before trotting over to the crudely constructed 'base.' The small trailer that Chuck had almost magically constructed was filled with brightly lit screens that only vaguely looked like TVs. There was a small lab near the front of the trailer that looked like a freak chemistry set from the future. The other end of the trailer consisted of a very compact kitchen complete with a table and chairs.

"We sleep in the ship, but otherwise we'll practically be living in here." Chuck explained, looking around with a sort of smug pride.

"Vee's going to be conducting all the really scientificy experiments and stuff. I'll mostly be doing cultural observations and the like. See what makes you guys tick." He continued, tapping the side of Lem's forehead with one of his fingers. Lem smiled, rubbing the spot with his palm as he continued to gaze up at the screens in awe.

"Hey, I think you got taller." Chuck exclaimed, leaning forward to inspect Lem more closely. "Yeah, definitely got taller. I was wondering if you were gonna stay that short for the rest of your life." He mused, absently fiddling with one of the tentacles on Lem's head before having his hand batted away.

"So you guys are doing all this research why? I mean… I kind of got the main points, but I'm still a little confused. What could my planet possibly offer you?" He asked, waving his arm at the vast, dry desert plains behind him. Vera stood calmly in the entrance of the base.

"You see Lem," Chuck began, but found himself staring out into space at a loss for words.

"We're running out of resources on our planet." Vera continued for him. "Our last resort would be to use up every single bit of the raw material that our planet has to offer, and we simply cannot do that. We'd kill our own species and every other one that inhabits the planet. So we've been on a mission to seek alternative energy sources for several years now. When Chuck came back to Earth with news of intelligent life on another planet, I convinced the board to let us return and learn from your way of life." She concluded elegantly.

"Yeah, that. And she totally didn't believe me when I said she'd be jammin' to the oldies for a month. But hey, looks like you guys have come a little farther than you were last time I was here. Do you have the internet yet?" Chuck asked hopefully.

"Inter-what?" Came Lem's response, getting a small huff for a laugh out of Vera before she stepped forward to turn her attention to the screens on the wall.

"But Lem, I need to ask you a huge favor. Well, not huge, but pretty big. Important. Yeah, an important favor." Chuck rambled, grasping Lem by the shoulders. Lem nodded vigorously.

"Can you bring us some food samples? I mean, we brought plenty of food, but it'd be nice to see if it's even possible for us to eat some of your native stuff. You know what I mean?" Chuck smiled, rubbing Lem affectionately on the head. Vera sighed at the display, her fingers moving rapidly across the screens, seeming to drag their contents around simply by touching the image. Lem was momentarily captivated.

"You know Lem, he wouldn't shut up about you back on Earth." She interjected. "It's how I knew who you were when you ran up to the ship. I'm curious to find out what exactly is so special about you that has the great 'I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am' Charles Baker so enraptured." She concluded, meeting Lem's gaze momentarily while receiving a death glare from Chuck. Lem blushed, to his embarrassment.

"I'm no one really…" Lem began.

"Points for modesty." Came the retort.

"Vera, shut your pie hole and let Lem run this _very important_ errand for us." Chuck barked, forcing a smile before turning back to Lem and giving him a genuine one. Lem saluted.

"One smorgasbord, coming right up!" He practically chirped before skittering off to his car and taking off down the road.

"Well, the certainly have the work ethic of the 50's." Vera mused, continuing to program the computers to the planet side time and date. Chuck stood at the entrance of the trailer, eyes following Lem's car down the road, arms crossed in thought. Vera turned from the computers and squeezed past him, jumping down onto the desert floor.

"I'm going to go collect some dirt samples to get up going. You… continue to stand there and contemplate your feelings." Vera announced with a knowing smirk, receiving a middle finger from Chuck and a coy smile. This month was going to go by too fast. He could already feel it.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello Readers!_

_I'm so happy there are people out there who read my stories! Your reviews kept me going. :)  
So here's chapter 2. This will probably be the pace for the updates. College is a bitch. Hope you like it! Things get interesting, truths become apparent. Also, bear with me because I don't have a beta. I tried to read and re-read, but I just can't catch everything._

_Yours  
Mr. Gregor Samsa_

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**Chapter 2 - It's a Date?**

Lem had a job. Lem had a _good_ job. He loved his job, which was sometimes a hard thing to come by for someone who never went on to get a higher education. But after 4 years of doing the brunt work, Lem had finally managed to work his way up to head curator at the observatory. His boss had looked upon him kindly after the whole Chuck ordeal was over, figuring that the boy had learned from the experience. Lem took his job with pride, he barely ever missed a day, and at this very moment, he wished desperately that he didn't have to go.

A small collection of food sat on the small table in the kitchen. Vera studied it thoughtfully as Lem explained all their different names and, to his best understanding, properties. Chuck seemed more excited to eat all of it rather than learn about it.

"Not so fast, buddy. We need to make sure this won't cause us to convulse and foam at the mouth." Vera pointed out, pulling a small, hand-held device out of her bag that she stationed over one of the hovering "fruits." A holographic blue grid appeared over the object, captivating Lem. Chuck just looked miffed.

"Well, it appears to have the same basic ethylene receptor proteins as a common apple. Though it possesses some odd type of magnetic property that I've never seen before. It's almost as if the electrons are creating a much wider magnetic field around the atoms than what we usually experience on Earth, causing it to hover. But that's just a theory. It could be something else entirely." Vera concluded, receiving glossy eyes from both men.

"Which means…?" Chuck held out his hands expectantly. Vera sighed, picking up the fruit and tossing it to him.

"Which means 'knock your self out,' it's harmless, as far as I can see. But just eat the fruits right now. I'm still a little put off by hovering meat."

After Chuck had successfully gobbled down three whole pieces of fruit, Lem announced that he had to go to work soon.

"It's almost ten. I gotta be to work in half an hour. But I'll try and swing by later." He motioned over his shoulder, in the supposed direction of 'work.' Chuck stuck out his bottom lip.

"Aww, you can't play hooky for our first day on the planet? Really? I thought I meant more to you than that." He sighed, turning away despondently.

"No!" Lem all but shouted, receiving questioning glances from Vera and Chuck. "I mean, it's not that I don't want to be here, it's just I've been doing really well with my job." He explained to a still-pouting Chuck and a seemingly uninterested Vera, who continued to analyze the food.

"And I don't want to get fired again because of you." He accused, pointing a finger into Chuck's chest.

"Hey, come on. It was for a good cause last time. And everything worked out for the better! You got your girl and your job, right?" Chuck defended. "Where is Neera, anyways?" he asked, looking around as if he expected her to pop out of the walls of their base.

"Oh, she moved to a different town a few years ago." Lem shrugged.

"Aw. Sorry dude." Chuck patted Lem on the shoulder.

"It's cool. We weren't really… we didn't. We were teenagers. What can you really expect?"

"Not much." Interjected Vera, pulling off a thin slice of meat with tweezers. "Tell me, Lem, do you guys breed livestock up here? Not to change the subject…" She looked at Chuck. "I know it's a fascinating one." Chuck stuck out his tongue.

"Yeah, we raise a bunch of different animals to eat. The whole fast food concept has really caught in the past ten years or so. You can probably find plenty of information on it easily… But really, I do have to go to work. I'll come back afterwards! Show you guys around town? I think they're making a public announcement about you guys today, so you should be ok to walk around tonight without too much harassment." Lem offered, wringing his hands reflexively. Chuck beamed and nodded vigorously.

"Count me in! This place reminds me of that episode of the Twilight zone where…" He was cut off by Vera's scoff. Chuck huffed in return.

"Would you like a tour Vera?" Lem asked, smiling openly. Vera shrugged.

"I'll consider it. There are a lot of things to get done initially. I might have to postpone my tour until a later date. No offence to you, Lem, I'm sue you make a stunning guide, but don't plan on me attending." She concluded, her eyes never leaving the microscope slides she was preparing.

"Oh… well that's fine. I understand." Lem wasn't sure he wanted her company anyways. She was cold. Unfeeling. The opposite of Chuck. He turned to the man, smiling hopefully. Chuck returned his smile with one of his own signature grins.

"Are you kidding? Miss a personalized Lem tour? I'd love to see the town! Some more… I mean, I saw it last time, but it was kind of blurry seeing I was running for my life." Chuck nodded thoughtfully at the memory. "Count me in." He finished, extending a fist. Lem looked at his hand, confused.

"You're supposed to bump my fist with yours. It's like… the high-five of the future. High-four in your case." Chuck grinned as Lem complied, laughing.

"Ok. I'll see you later." He called over his shoulder, waving as he left. He felt giddy. A whole night of just him and Chuck. He had a feeling it would be hard to concentrate for the rest of the day.

"Well isn't he just a little ball of sunshine." Vera commented flatly. Chuck wheeled on her.

"The least you could do is try not to be a complete and total bitch, though I know it's hard for you." He spat, crossing his arms as he turned back to watch Lem drive away.

"Oh get over yourself, Charles. We're here on a research mission, not an ice cream social. We're supposed to send back useful research, not crayon drawings of 'Me and My Best Friend Lem.' The natives are doe-eyed and naïve. I can't help it if they piss me off." She exhaled, continuing to compose various slides of the different fruits. "Besides, I don't want to be a cock-block tonight." She glanced up with a smirk. Chuck flushed almost a deep purple.

"That's sick! I would never… do such a thing." Chuck defended, striding over to the table. Vera's eyebrows rose skeptically.

"Well, you may never _do_ such a thing, but now you're going to be thinking about it all night. Just you and Lem." She shot him a toothy grin, much to his chagrin.

"You're some kind of sadist, you know that?" Chuck ran his hands over his face. "I don't know how I got shafted with you."

"I'm the top fucking scientist at NASA, that's how." She hissed. "Besides, we make a fantastic team, don't you agree?" Vera paused thoughtfully. "I wonder if they have the same curse words as us on this planet…?"

"Don't change the subject." Chuck pointed a finger at her face. "What makes you think that I… feel that way about Lem? Am I doing something I shouldn't be? Am I being too touchy-feely?" Vera looked up at the sound of legitimate concern in Chuck's voice. She sighed, setting down her scalpel and lacing her fingers beneath her chin.

"Charles, the kid _moons_ over you, no pun intended. And you feed his fire. I don't know how you don't see it." She explained, picking up the strange seeds of the fruits.

"I don't know, it just seems… not right. I mean, he's not human. And he likes girls! …As far as I know. Gah." Chuck waved his arm through the air in frustration.

"That sounded like a thinly veiled confession to me. So what, he's green? He's 'straight?' That wouldn't stop me… not one bit. In fact, I'd love if you could brief me on their anatomy later." She wiggled her eyebrows causing Chuck to groan and cover his face.

"You just had to say something, didn't you?" He moaned, miserably. Vera simply smiled.

"You'll thank me later. Now go make yourself useful. I need soil samples!"

"Lem! Lem!" Skiff called from the entryway. Lem sighed, turning to greet his overly excited friend.

"Hey, man, you know I love your company, but you can't keep coming and bothering me at work like this." Lem explained patiently. Skiff grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently.  
"Is it true? Is it really true!? Have humans come back? Is Chuck here?" He asked all in one breath. Lem motioned for him to calm down.  
"Take a breath buddy. Yeah, Chuck's here. And he's with a human female…"

"A FEMALE!? Oh wow…" Skiff seemed to swoon. Lem simply rolled his eyes. "But dude, when can I see Chuck? Rover's going to flip! Man… this is so exciting. I can't believe they came back!" Skiff began to jog in place.

"Skiff you're gonna have to calm down." Lem chuckled. "They're on an actual mission this time. Chuck has… stuff to do. He doesn't have time to run around with us."

"What? Come on! We're like… BFFs. He'll definitely make time for _you_, at least." Skiff pointed out, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lem asked, eyes narrowing.

"Oh come on, you guys were so buddy-buddy. I was always the one fascinated with aliens and he picks _you_ to be his best friend. I mean he practically kissed you…" Skiff recounted, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"What! That was… he was giving me tips on how to get Neera! It was the heat of the moment! You just came in at the wrong time. But that's not the point." Lem interjected, his pulse pounding in his ears. "And, as usual, you've successfully distracted me from my work. Thanks. Don't you have some comics to read?" Skiff scowled before slowly turning to walk away.

"Whatever. Alien or not, don't try to deny it man. You cannot escape destiny! Destin-" He was cut off as the door closed behind him. Lem sighed, now even more nervous and distracted than before.

The night came swiftly. Lem had done some lame prepping for his 'date' with Chuck. He wasn't sure if he should wear cologne, considering it might not smell the same to a human. He fussed over what shirt to wear before finally settling on a blue collared one, which he decidedly hated after he had already driven down three blocks. Finally, he pulled up to the human's base camp to find Chuck sitting at the entrance of the ship. He broke in to a grin as he saw Lem approach, waving enthusiastically. Lem breathed out slowly. He had to act normal. He had to act normal. Because this was normal. Right?

Chuck jogged around the car, hopping in the other side. He was wearing casual clothes as opposed to the regulation NASA jump suit. Lem took a moment to admire that fact.

"Alright, let's get this party started!" Chuck exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. "What's first?" He looked at Lem hopefully. Lem smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I thought maybe just a simple tour first… car tour. Then maybe you can try one of our restraints?" He asked, really hoping it didn't sound like a date so far. Chuck rubbed his belly in response.

"I wouldn't mind doing the whole eating thing first. If that's cool with you? I could eat a horse." He shot Lem an award-winning smile, causing Lem's insides to melt.

"Fine by me! But once again, I'm lost on your Earth idioms." He puffed out, turning the car around to take off down the dirt road, the nervousness dissipating slightly.

Dinner turned out to be somewhat distracting. Chuck ended up being a public spectacle for the people in the small diner. People were coming up asking to shake his hand, touch his hair, have pictures taken with him. Lem spent most of the experience with his head in his hands. After about fifteen minutes of photo shoots, Chuck pulled Lem off to the side.

"You wanna get out of here?" He asked quietly, ignoring one man's request to pose in a picture with him. Lem nodded gratefully. A small crowd followed them to the car, proclaiming "take me with you!" to Chuck.

"I'm so sorry about that." Lem exhaled, locking the car doors as people left greasy fingerprints on his windows.

"Hey, no problem. I'm used to it. The paparazzi back home was crazy about my story when I got back." Chuck seemed to reminisce for a moment. "But hey, don't let it ruin the night. Let's get on with the tour!"

Lem proceeded to drive Chuck around the small town, pointing out all the hot spots like the movie theater, the bowling ally, the drive ins where pretty young girls served you on roller skates. Chuck seemed enthralled, easing Lem back into the comfort of their casual conversations. He listened eagerly as Chuck explained the current Earth culture in relation to Lem's and how weird the similarities were. Soon, they had been driving around talking for over an hour. Finally, Lem pulled up to the observatory; their last stop on the edge of town.

"Ah, how appropriate." Mused Chuck, beginning to get out of the car. Lem followed, smiling.

"I figured why not end the night where we first met, right?" He explained, smiling coyly. Chuck smirked.

"How romantic, Lem! I never took you for the sentimental type." He exclaimed, walking towards the door, oblivious to the flush that spread across Lem's face.

They made their way to the top story of the observatory, moving towards the large window at the top of the staircase. Carefully, they climbed out onto the roof. The sun had just finished setting, leaving the planet to cool down in the soft twilight that followed. Chuck inhaled loudly, placing his arms on his hips. Lem subconsciously pulled at the edge of his shirt.

"Did you feel bad? Leaving Earth again, I mean…" Lem asked curiously, curling his knees up to his chest as he gazed up at the sky. Chuck smiled into the night, moving to sit down. Lem followed.

"Naw… I mean, every mission has a chance of something going wrong. My job is dangerous. But I knew it'd be worth it." He gazed over at Lem, smiling fondly. Lem's eyed darted away as he cleared his throat.

"I'd love to see your planet." Lem commented quietly. "I bet it's awesome." Chuck reached over to lay a hand on his shoulder, his smile lopsided.

"Well, maybe one day you can."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, simply gazing up into the slowly darkening sky. Finally Lem turned towards the human beside him.

"I have a weird question, but just… humor me." He prepped. Chuck nodded, curious, motioning for him to go on.

"Ok… right. Can I…. touch your hair?" Lem seemed to squeeze out. Chuck laughed heartily, causing Lem to flush and hit him on the shoulder.

"Well… sure! Knock yourself out. People barely asked tonight." He said, leaning his head towards Lem to give him better access. Lem smiled sheepishly, reaching a hand up tentatively, pausing before swiftly running a hand across Chuck's head before retracting. Chuck pulled back, confused.

"That was it? Really?" Chuck asked skeptically. Lem rolled his eyes before reaching his hand back up to roll a few strands between his fingertips.

"It's so soft. It makes no sense." He mused aloud. Chuck smiled, pulling away to look at Lem.

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked, flashing a charming grin. Lem flushed noticeably.

Realizing that he had just fallen into his usual routine of flirting, Chuck immediately sat up.

"You know, it's getting kind of late. I….should probably get back to camp." He nodded curtly, moving to stand.

"Really? I mean, that's fine. It's been a busy day, I know. I just thought…" Lem trailed off. How did he expect the evening to end? He felt Chuck's hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, I'm here for a whole month. No worries." He smiled fondly at Lem.

The walked silently back to the car, driving off in the direction of the camp, both relatively quiet.

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_I value your opinion! Please review!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello Gentle Readers!_

_Long time no see, yes? Terribly sorry. I've been so busy that I haven't been to a party in weeks. I've been so busy that I had to end my current relationship. I think I've lost weight._  
_But never fear... Spring Break is here! _  
_I've really been wanting to write this chapter for a while, so it's nice to finally get it out of my head. I hope it satisfies. _  
_I'd really like to thanks some of my reviewers for motivating me to write this next chapter. The ones who really made me get off my ass are Fenfic, Randomstrike, and Ryhn. Thanks for such thoughtful reviews. SO glad you like the story. _  
_But please... if you're going to review asking for more sex or a makeout scene, don't waste your time. It's rude and I'll ignore it. _  
_I'm trying to write a story with plot development and interesting characters. If you want a one-shot, I'm sure you can find some out there. _

_Thanks again. Hope you enjoy this chapter!_

_The chapter title is from a quote that reads_ "The more I see of men, the more I admire dogs."

* * *

**Chapter 3 - The More I Admire Dogs**

Vera tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully several times before pressing the record button on her data pad.

"Science Officer Vera Hawes. Supplementary log. After a period of merely five days, the local inhabitants have blindly accepted our trust. Their eagerness, as unsettling as it may be, has proven useful as far as gathering valuable information. Though their apparent energy source still manages to baffle me, I feel as though I'm getting closer to a breakthrough. There are some very interesting magnetic patterns showing up in the crust. I only wish that they had the technology to help us dig down deeper. The inhabitants seem to be in a technological eddy, showing little to no interest in furthering their lifestyle." She lifter her finger off the button momentarily, thoughtfully gazing out of the small window of her private bunk in the cramped space pod. For a moment, the desert didn't seem so different from those back home. Vera closed her eyes and continued.

"These people are so naïve that I can't help but feel that we are taking advantage of them. They could never comprehend the full extent of our mission, nor do I possess the skills to communicate to them the problem we face on Earth. Though I know it's probably nothing to write home about, I can't shake the feeling that we might be biting off more than we can chew." She bit her lip as she saved the log in her personal folder.

At that moment, the curtain that separated her from the rest of the compartment was roughly drawn back to reveal a grinning Chuck-face.

"Vera, are you talking to yourself again?" he asked, batting his eyes innocently. She answered his question with a sour stare.

"Charles, what have I told you about interrupting me in the middle of logs?" she asked, her voice placid as she shifted to tuck her data pad back into its case. Chuck looked contemplative for a moment.

"That it'll result in a punch in the gut?" he offered, swiftly dodging a foot aimed at his abdominals.

"Ha ha! Missed me!" he teased, trotting out of their sleeping quarters. Vera couldn't help but smile, hopping down off the bed to follow him out the door.

Outside it was a beautiful day, by any planet's standards. It had put Chuck in a particularly chipper mood, causing him to need more physical activity than usual. He took to running laps around their camp until Lem got off of work, humming happily to himself.

Even Vera didn't go unaffected by the weather. She brought out a few of the science books the local library had given her and picked a sunny spot to attempt some metric conversions.

As much as she loathed admitting it, the natives had really started to grow on here. They were doe-eyed and stupid, but she could definitely pick up the charm Chuck had ranted about back on Earth. She tried not to watch her partner too closely, but she couldn't help but notice how casually he and Lem were able to interact. It was as if there was no difference between them at all. Lem accepted Chuck's corny sense of humor, ADHD tendencies, and atrocious attempts at flirting without question or doubt. Chuck did an exemplary job of making Lem feel like someone who mattered, including him in every excursion they took and doting on him night and day. It was getting to the point of sickly sweetness, especially when they had to bid each other farewell in the evenings.

The only relief from the romantic comedy came during her various conversations with General Grawl. He came almost every day, insisting that she keep him updated on every aspect of their mission. He fascinated her to no end. He was stoic and practically emotionless in comparison to the rest of his people, yet he retained the child-like wonder so intrinsic in his race. He had her repeat things over and over until he understood them to the best of his ability. It was amusing to hold conversations with him. He tried harder than anyone she had ever known to understand Earth culture. Once Vera accidentally let herself smile at his confusion.

"Is there something you find amusing, Miss Hawes?" he all but growled. She attempted to wipe her face clean of emotion.

"No, not at all, General. I would never attempt to make light of our conversations. I find them to be of the utmost importance," She retorted, unable to stop her lip from curling.

"Don't patronize me." He scolded, a small glimmer of humor in his eyes.

"Never would I dream of doing such a thing." She promised with a small smirk.

**********

"Leeem…" Chuck groaned dramatically. "I'm bored." He concluded, resting his chin on top of his knees. The sat under a particularly large tree in the park where Chuck's ship had initially landed, merely enjoying the evening as the sun began to set. People still stopped to stare at Chuck, but the request for pictures and autographs had died down. Lem assumed Chuck was a little depressed in the afterglow.

"Sorry. This town kind of goes to bed at 6:00. The only things still open are a few bars and the movie theater." Lem attempted to suggest. Chuck sat up right.

"Holy crap, you guys have bars? Why didn't I ask you that earlier!?" Chuck exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "I gotta try some of the local brew." He declaired, grinning widely as he rubbed his hands together mischievously. Lem shrugged, smiling at his never-failing enthusiasm.

"As long as it doesn't make you sick." He sighed.

"It is so cute how you care about my health." Chuck mused, receiving a half-hearted punch on the shoulder.

The Gralfong Bar was buzzing with excitement over their alien guest. The hazy, informal atmosphere was warm and welcoming. It wasn't a sleazy bar like some of the ones back on earth, it was merely a place for business men to go after a long day of work to loosen their ties and roll up their sleeves. It had good food and pretty bar tenders. Everyone was overjoyed at Chuck's willingness to exchange bar stories from his home planet. The place was roaring with laughter and conversation by the end of the night. Drink after drink was on the house, leaving Chuck and Lem with no choice but to accept. Soon, they were both slurring their words.

"Seriously, Lem… you gotta come to Earth. It is just… the bee's knees." Chuck laid a heavy hand on Lem's shoulders.

"I don't think I can come to Earth, Chuck… it's really,,, really far away." Lem reasoned, one of his eyes half closed.

"What? No…no….. naw… it's not that far." Chuck scrunched up his nose, waving a hand in front of his face. "It's like… a hop, skip, and a jump." He pantomimed.

"I seriously doubt that." Lem chuckled, downing another shot of some pale blue liquor, the name of which escaped him at the moment. He hissed as the liquid burned its way down his throat. The room was starting to spin.

"How many drinks have we had exactly?" Chuck asked absently. Lem shrugged. Or he thought he shrugged, but then again, he couldn't really feel his shoulders. Or his cheeks. Or his tongue.

"Enough… to get the job done." He managed to slur out. Chucked let out a giggle-snort before collapsing onto the bar in front of him.

"Oh holy shit, I cannot go back to base like this… Vera would kill me twice over." He mumbled into the wood. Lem leaned over, resting a hand on Chuck's back.

"Charles, my friend, my house is your house." He assured. Chuck let out a series of giggles before lifting his head.

"Don't call me Charles. Formality doesn't look good on you."

The two managed to stumble their way seven blocks back to Lem's apartment, holding on to each other for support and failing miserably. Lem almost fell into the bushes a few times causing both to irrupt into obnoxious laughter. Chuck reminisced loudly about his college days for most of the walk back, Lem listening as best he could. Finally, after falling into hysterics over the fact that Lem couldn't find the right key out of three whole keys on his key ring, Chuck found himself face down on Lem's bed.

"It feels like the room is rocking back and forth." He said, his words muffled by the sheets. He felt the mattress give as Lem crawled up beside him, flopping down and cuddling into his side. Chuck turned so that his arm draped around the small, green man that pressed into his chest. They fell asleep with the lights on.

*********

Vera glanced down at her watch impatiently, pursing her lips as she scanned the horizon line.

"They should have been back hours ago." She complained, tight lipped. General Grawl straightened his uniform out of habit.

"If you would like, we can stay with you until Captain Baker returns." He offered, glancing over at the two officers that accompanied him. They seemed to be having a hard time staying awake, as they both leaned into each other for support. He sighed, smoothing back his follicles. "The least I can do is offer to keep you company."

"Though I appreciate the sentiment, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." She chided, turning and striding back towards the base. Grawl followed her closely.

"I most certainly was not implying that you needed assistance of any kind. I was just offering to…"

"I understand your offer, General, and I am abundantly grateful that you would waste your time to keep me entertained, but I'm sure there are other more important things to occupy your time than babysitting an alien." She concluded, moving through the doorway and into the small kitchen to put some water on the boil. Grawl stood awkwardly a few feet away.

"I can assure you that… no, not really." He trailed off, averting his eyes. Vera raised an eyebrow at the informality.

"Would you like some tea, General Grawl?" She offered, reaching into a small cupboard to retrieve some mugs.

"I would like that very much." He affirmed, moving to sit down at the small kitchen table. "Is your culture matriarchal?" he asked, studying the human closely. She let out a sound of amusement.

"Far from it General." Came the flat reply.

"Please, call me Grawl."

Vera paused, looking over her shoulder to eye the man skeptically.

"Grawl it is then. What made you ask?"

"You seem to be the one giving out all the orders. Strong women are a… uh, rarity on our planet." He arranged and rearranged the salt and pepper shakers as he spoke.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Vera decided, dropping the tea bags into the mugs before pouring the boiling water overtop. "No, no. Women are just as oppressed back on my planet as they are here. They may plead gender equality but we have to work twice as hard at something to be considered as good as any man."

"Hence the overcompensation." Grawl mused under his breath.

"I beg your pardon?" Vera's voice was icy.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. I think you do an excellent job. You're far more authoritative than half the officers in my squadron. We could use someone like you in the military." He offered, puffing up his chest.

"Thanks but no thanks. I'm much more of a "tread softly, carry a big stick" kind of gal. I've never really been one for going into things guns blazing and all that. I leave that up to my government-run military back home. I just pray they won't get more involved in this mission than they already are." Vera bit her tongue after those last words as she saw Grawl visibly straighten.

"This is not purely a scientific mission?" he asked, his voice reverting to the harsh professionalism he usually used. Vera casually took a sip of tea.

"I won't lie to you Grawl, there are things about this mission they are keeping from me. Just don't let your guard down. Believe me, Charles and I are no threat to your planet or your people, but I can't say the same for my planetary government." She took a breath, holding it in for a moment before continuing.

"My planet is dying. It has been dying for years and we're running out of options. My mission is to gather information on energy resources. My concern is that my government is going to want more than just information. They're very much the 'tangible' type."

Grawl remained silent, staring intently at a spot on the table, trying to take in what was just said.

"Should we be worried?" he asked finally, looking up to meet her gaze. Vera shrugged.

"It's just a theory. But it's a theory based off of past tendencies. I wouldn't rally the troops just yet, but your people are so young compared to mine. Your innocence may betray you. I don't want to see that happen." She assured quietly into her mug before taking another sip. Grawl took a moment to compose himself before he spoke again.

"Thank you Miss Hawes. I appreciate your concern on the matter."

"Please, call me Vera." She offered, looking up at him with a small smile. To this she received the closet thing to a smile yet as Grawl's lip twitched slightly.

"Vera it is then."

************

Lem was vaguely aware of his surroundings. He knew he was in his own bed, his left arm was numb, and he was aware of something warms pressed against his back. A few moments later he came to the startling realization that he was spooning with Captain Charles T. Baker. He felt Chuck's weird nose-breathing on top of his head, the man's right arm curled tightly around his waist. Lem weighed the pros and cons of the situations and decided that he would be completely content to stay where he was if he didn't feel like he needed to throw up.

Gingerly, Lem attempted to sit up, twisting his body so that he could slide out of Chuck's arms. He paused momentarily, however, when this brought him face-to-face with the sleeping human. Suddenly Lem really didn't feel like moving. The last time he was this close to Chuck was during their awkward tango those many years ago. Back then his inane crush hadn't even had time to fully develop. He reached up and softly touched Chuck's face. He soon regretted the action as Chuck shifted, smiling warmly at the touch as he reflexively pulled Lem on top of him. One hand moved seductively down Lem's back as the other moved to his neck, pulling him closer.

Lem made a horribly undignified noise as a shiver ran down his spine. He pressed against Chuck's chest to try and make him stop. God he wanted this more than anything, but he knew Chuck didn't know what was going on in his sleepy haze. Chuck cracked his eyes open slightly, still smiling. His smile immediately vanished as he was confronted with an anxiety-ridden Lem.

He immediately let go, shoving himself away so forcefully that he toppled off the other side of the bed.

"Chuck!" Lem called out, jumping across the bed to look over the side. The man was sprawled out on the floor looking still mildly confused and abashed.

"Lem I'm really sorry… I hope I didn't… oh, my head." He reached up to grab the side of his scalp. Lem reached a hand down.

"Don't… worry. Shift happens." He smiled sadly with a nervous laugh. "I didn't mind." He added before he could stop himself. Chuck grinned, grabbing Lem's outstretched hand.

"Oh you didn't did you? You have a thing for being man-handled by hung-over humans?" he asked cheekily. Lem only blushed slightly.

"What can I say, I had a rough childhood?" he offered, eliminating any tension that still remained as Chuck sniggered under his breath.

"The spooning was kinda nice." He mused. "But man, I feel like I got run over by a rhinoceros."

"A what?"

"A large animal with big feet and a huge horn growing out the top of its head." Lem looked terrified at the description. Chuck laughed hoarsely.

"I need some water." He croaked.

"Same here. Coming right up!" Lem scampered off the bed, soon realizing that he was still relatively hung over and fast movements were a bad idea.

Chuck slowly moved to get back up on the bed, propping himself up against the headboard, closing his eyes. He waited patiently for Lem to return, running the events of last night through his head. He clearly remembered having one of the best times of his life. Was Lem really ok with all the physical affection he had accidentally shown? Well then, might as well go with the flow.

Lem returned carrying two glasses of water, handing one to Chuck as he sat on the edge of the bed to drink his own.

"So, I think I can deal with the death threats from Miss Science Officer later and take a few hours to recuperate. Do you support my decision?" Chuck asked, peering overtop of his glass to look at Lem, who nodded in response.

"I think that's a fair argument. You have to be on top of your game, after all." Lem strengthened the argument.

"Yeah, I think there may have to be more spooning involved." Chuck stroked his chin thoughtfully. Lem almost spit his water out. He looked up at the man who sprawled so casually in his bed with a coy smile on his face.

"As long as it's what the doctor ordered." He agreed not so reluctantly, setting his water down and crawling over towards Chuck. He settled underneath Chucks arm, one hand places nervously on the man's chest.

His stomach did somersaults for the rest of their day.

* * *

_I value your opinion!  
~ Mr. Gregor Samsa_


	4. Chapter 4

_Oh my readers.  
I'm really sorry it's taken so long to update! I literally just got home from college two days ago. Sat down and wrote this entire chapter today.  
Sorry it's short, but I kept getting distracted by my guitar who would not stop giving me "the look."  
Anyways, though short it may be, this is good because it got the gears turning again. I'm back on track (for the most part). So hopefully that means I can pump out another chapter (or two, cross your fingers) relatively soon. All the really positive and loving reviews helped immensely in completing this one.  
Thanks so much for sticking with me! These characters are a lot of fun to play with. Hope you're enjoying it as much as I am!  
_

_Gregor  
_

_Also, as a side note, sorry about the confusing formatting. It appears that my Word formatting doesn't transfer to very well. I'm going to try and make it easier to read from now on._

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Pile of Rocks**

"Where the HELL have you been?" Vera spat from her bunk as Chuck stumbled into the room. He grinned in return.

"Socializing with the natives?" he offered weakly. This got him an eye-roll.

"Well, I've had to entertain General Grawl while you've been out and I think I succeeded in scaring the living daylights out of him. Houston has been sending us non-stop transmissions. They're being horribly impatient and so far we have nothing!" Vera threw down the book she'd been studying. "And not to mention these 'science books' are absolutely worthless. These people are… backwards!" she exhaled loudly, falling back onto her pillow.

"Hey! They aren't backwards… they're just underdeveloped." Chuck half-mumbled, delicately picking through his limited clothing selection. "Besides, I'm sure if you sent a detailed report explaining…"  
"I've tried that, Charles." Vera interjected. "They're getting restless down there! I'm starting to get worried they're going to pull out the big guns."

This made Chuck pause. He knew why she was worried, but it hadn't hit him until now that they may be in deeper than he previously anticipated.

"We just need to send them something conclusive." Chuck nodded, looking back over his shoulder. "What about the… uh… rain? Those rocks that fall from the sky. Have you taken samples?" he offered, closing his drawer and turning around. Vera was silent.

"No, actually, I got so caught up in the floating food… I'll go do that now. Would you mind going and collecting some more? I don't know where they dump them. Get Lem to help you if you don't know." Vera shot him a lop-sided smile. "Go. Socialize. But for god's sake, make yourself useful." Chuck pouted after her as she left their cramped quarters.

"I'm useful." He protested.

* * *

Lem could barely focus at work. His mind was buzzing. It was humiliating. Snuggling had gotten him all riled up. Snuggling! He felt girlier than Skiff in drag. That was an awkward series of events.

"LEM!" Speak of the devil. Lem quickly tried to busy himself with something.

"Hey Skiff. I see you're here to annoy me at work, once again." Lem sighed, turning his back to file astrological charts.

"So, I saw you and Chuck hanging out last night at the bar." Skiff blurted. Lem felt his face growing hot. He made sure to keep his back turned.  
"Yeah? So what? He wanted to see the town and all that…" Lem explained, studying the charts in his hand very intensely.

"Why didn't you invite me? You never invite me anywhere anymore! I thought we were buds?" Skiff complained loudly, grabbing his ears in a fit of anxiety. Lem winced. It was true he hadn't been devoting the usual amount of time to hanging out with his friend. He suddenly felt selfish that he had been keeping Skiff out of the loop. He sighed, putting the charts down, the feeling of defeat settling in his stomach.

"Skiff, listen, I'm sorry I've been busy lately… it's just…"

"I know, you're still bummed about Neera." Skiff interrupted.

"No! No that's not it! But now you think I'm lying because of my vehement denial." Lem sighed, reading Skiff's haughty expression.

"If you'd just hear me out. It's not Neera… it's Chuck. You see…" Lem looked up to see if Skiff was reading between the lines at all. He was only met with naïve eyes looking more confused than ever. There was no way to explain this delicately.

"I have a thing for Chuck." Lem winced as Skiff's eyes grew into large disks.

"WHAT? Is that even LEGAL!" he shouted, waving his arms around wildly. "I was totally kidding about the whole 'Destiny' thing! Wait. Is that considered bestiality? Bestiality is waaaay against park regulations!" Skiff's antennae flopped back and forth as he shook his head.

"Skiff. Calm down." Lem scowled. " He's not an animal."

"But he's got that weird thing in the middle of his face!"

"Skiff, that's not the point. You wanted to know the truth, so now you know!" Lem semi-shouted, spinning around to return to his work. "Just… go. I knew you'd make a big deal out of it."

Skiff brooded behind Lem for a moment before speaking again.

"Listen, man, I'm not gonna stop being your friend or anything, but come on! Can you blame me for being a little weirded out?" he pressed. Lem smiled a little.

"No. Honestly, I'm even more weirded out." He confessed with a breathy laugh. Skiff grinned.

"Dude, why don't you stop by the comic book store after you're done here and we can… casually chat about emotions and other stuff." Skiff twirled his finger around in the air.

"Just sit around and talk about our feelings?" Lem laughed. "That's girly."

"You're the one into a dude…" Skiff pointed out casually, receiving a punch in the shoulder. They laughed, easing any previous tension. It suddenly felt like a ton of pressure had been lifted off of Lem's shoulders. Everything was right with the world.

* * *

"There is nothing right in this world, Vera." Grawl mused. "We live fleeting lives filled with noise and pleasure, but all for what? We all rot in the ground in the end."

"You always give the most uplifting speeches." Vera commented without lifting her head from the microscope.

"It may not be pleasant, but it's true." Grawl mumbled under his breath, moving to sip his tea. It was then that Chuck skittered into the cramped base with an arm full of rocks.

"Special delivery!" he proclaimed joyfully, dumping the rocks unceremoniously onto the table. "Couple of pounds of rain for you there." Chuck explained, puffing his chest out proudly.

"Charles! You're being helpful! I think there is a god…" she told Grawl with a nod.

"Hey, here's an idea: stop being an ass hole, tell me what else you need me to do." Chuck pouted, causing Grawl to cough suspiciously into his mug.

"Aww… well you can always go check the transmissions. They've probably sent us fifty by now. And don't just pretend to listen to them. Take notes." Vera ordered, inspecting one of the "rain rocks" and carefully scraping off small particles into a glass tube.

Chuck sighed and meandered over to the controls, grabbing a DATApad off the counter before plopping himself in front of the multitude of screens. Headphones on, he was soon oblivious to everything else.

Grawl turned back to Vera.

"I feel like you work too much. You've barely gotten to see our town." He commented, fidgeting with a few buttons on his jacket.

"You'll have to forgive me if I've been impolite, it's not my intention. I'm just doing my job." She explained, slightly annoyed.

"It's not that I don't expect you to do your job, it's just aren't you at all curious about our way of life? About us?" Grawl implored. This gave Vera pause. She stared intensely at the rock in her hand for a moment before her eyes trailed up to meet Grawl's; eyes filled with life and curiosity, experiences and feelings. Life. She looked back at the rock, which remained just that. _Damn. _She thought to herself, smiling and shaking her head. Had she really been that stupid?

"What time?" she asked, continuing to smile.

"Peg your pardon?"

"What time do you want to show me around the town? Y'know, get to know the locals, interact with living things." She elaborated, glancing up and smiling coyly. Grawl straightened, clearing his throat.

"Are you free this evening?" he asked. Vera laughed lightly. This was crazy.

"Yeah. Sure. Free as a bird."

* * *

Lem and Skiff sat in the back room of the comic book store, leaning up against the shelves. Lem could see the sun beginning to set through the window shades.

"So let me get this straight. You SPOONED?" Skiff slapped his hands against the sides of his face. Rover did a few back flips beside him.

"A little?" Lem confessed, blushing.

"Whoa, Lem, whoa. Not only is that really funny, but you're getting in pretty deep man! I mean, where do you think this is gonna go?"

Lem sighed, feeling suddenly exhausted. This was the other thing that had been weighing on his mind all day. What exactly did he expect out of this? In the back of his mind he knew that Chuck would eventually go back to Earth. There was no getting around that.

"I don't know Skiff, I really don't. I'm trying not to think too far ahead into the future. I'm just gonna roll with the punches for the time being." He concluded.

"Okay, man, I just don't wanna see you all sad and stuff when this all ends." Skiff warned, patting Rover's head to calm him down.

"You and me both." Lem mumbled under his breath.

* * *

_I value your opinion! Hopefully a new (and longer) chapter will be up soon!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey guys! Sorry for the prolonged absence. I was overseas doing some studying. I turned in my last piece of homework for the program yesterday, so I thought I'd celebrate with a little writing! So here it is, my smut-tastic chapter of RtP51. This was really fun to write, and I'd like to thank MoonGoddessSerenity for being my beta this time. Hopefully there will be less mistakes._  
_Anyhoo, enjoy the read! But I'm not promising consistant updates anymore. Going back to school on Saturday._  
_Cheers!_  
_~Gregor_

* * *

**Chapter 5 - Mingling of the Astraeus**

"Okay, I'm leaving a list of things you can do tonight while I'm gone… though I'm sure you won't."

"Hey, you know what they say about assuming."

Chuck grinned at Vera's turned back from his bunk.

"I can't believe you're putting on makeup." He jeered. Vera glared at him over her shoulder, mascara tube in hand.

"I can't believe I actually _brought _makeup! I don't know what I was thinking." She huffed, despite leaning forward into the mirror to put it on. "Besides, it's just mascara. I don't want to look like a complete slob." She justified under her breath.

Chuck rolled onto his back, laughing into his hands.

"My god, we're all **xenophiles**!" he exclaimed. Vera shrugged.

"Could be worse. Could be necrophilia. But speaking of xenophiles, you invited Lem over to keep you company right?" she asked, stepping back and straightening her top.

"Why does that have to be 'speaking of'?" Chuck whined. Vera simply grinned, snatching up her clutch.

"I have my communicator with me if something happens. Hopefully you'll be able to keep things together for at least a couple of hours."

Chuck stuck his tongue out as she climbed down out of their cabin. Vera paused on the last rung, peeking over the edge, almost looking as though she was at a loss of things to say. She opened and closed her mouth twice before half smiling.

"Have a good evening." She said finally, with a curt nod.

Chuck saluted her, watching the top of her head disappear into the lower cabin. He sighed, snaking his hands beneath his head and lacing his fingers. As much as he hated to admit it, he definitely had a rough outline of what he expected to happen tonight. The only hole in his devilish plot was the end. He was almost banking on Vera coming back just in time to interrupt anything that might be getting "too heavy," as Chuck liked to put it. Glancing down at his watch he noted that Lem should be arriving in a couple of minutes. Inhaling deeply, Chuck pushed himself up off his bed, swung his legs over the side, and gracelessly stumbled over to the exit.

Lem sat outside, still in his car, banging his head repeatedly against the steering wheel. There had been so much intense flirting in the past few days that his head was swimming with possible transgressions that might take place tonight. This caused him to bead his head more furiously. He knew what he wanted. He had no idea how to achieve it. He brought a bottle of alcohol along just in case he lost his nerve.

Lem finally stopped his self-inflicted punishment for a moment, only to look up and see two large, blue eyes staring at him through the window.

"Hey there buddy. Doing some meditating?" Chuck asked with a nervous laugh. Lem let his head hit the steering wheel one last time before grabbing his bottle 'o booze and stepping out of the car.

"I was just helping myself think." Lem explained with a lop-sided smile, handing Chuck the bottle.

"Ooh! What's this?" he mused gleefully, snatching up the bottle to inspect the label. "Alien Booze!" he exclaimed loudly, throwing his hands up in the air. "How'd you know?" he asked with a sniffle, holding the bottle close to his chest as he nuzzled the top of Lem's head like an overgrown cat. Lem flushed only slightly, batting him away, laughing happily.

"Are you gonna nuzzle me, or are we gonna get drunk?" Lem asked with a grin as they began to walk towards the base.

"Oh, my friend, we aren't not just getting drunk, we are getting _shwastey_!" Chuck all but sang.

"Shwasty?"

"It's… uh… it's a college term. Mash up between "shit faced" and "wasted." Came the dutiful, almost proud explanation.

"Shit faced?"

After reaching the base and having a few more flippant conversations of college terminology, Lem found himself planted on a makeshift couch in front of a very large computer.

"Okay! So, in lieu of past events, I am going to educate you on some good, old-fashioned Earth sci-fi!" Chuck exclaimed excitedly, spinning around to face the computer screen.

"Don't tell Vera I'm using this as a movie player." He mumbled over his shoulder, fingers working quickly over the keyboard. "But before I left Earth, I was banking on seeing you again." Chuck explained. Lem felt his cheeks get hot, and he laughed out of embarrassment.

"So before they stuffed me back into a spaceship, I managed to put a couple of movies on my personal computer. Movies that you HAD to see in order to understand the tongue-and-cheek humor presented in our poorly formed plot."

"What?"

"What?"

"Never mind."

"So anyways." Chuck cleared his throat. "I humbly present… E.T.!" He announced, slamming a finger down on the keyboard dramatically. He quickly launched backwards to land next to Lem on the makeshift couch.

"Oh, and we're going to make a drinking game out of this." Chuck explained carefully as the opening credits began to roll. "Every time ET makes a funny noise, you have to take a shot."

"What kind of rule is that?" Lem asked with a huff, pouring himself his first shot.

"Just… you'll know what I mean. Watch."

* * *

"I trust the food is to your liking?" Grawl asked, taking a sip of his drink. Vera smiled, trying to appear as delicate and graceful as possible while attempting to cut her floating food.

"It's delicious. Thank you." She responded automatically, taking a bite of the orange sphere that was hovering near her fork. Grawl raised an eyebrow.

"Delicious? That's it? No scientific analysis, no insatiable wit?" He chided. Vera let out a strained laugh.

"Well, in all honesty, it's been a little difficult to eat with the entire restaurant staring at me since we arrived." She explained, glancing over her shoulder. The other customers seemed to shift all at once, turning back to one another to continue eating and talking loudly. Grawl dabbed at the corner of his mouth before placing his napkin on the table.

"Would you prefer to go some place more private?" He asked, his voice no more than a low rumble. It was Vera's turn to raise an eyebrow. Without another word, they both rose from the table. Grawl slapped a few bills down to cover the meal and they both made their way towards the door. Vera had no idea where "some place more private" might be, but she found herself unable to protest when that place turned out to be just outside the back entrance of the local military base.

Vera found herself being slammed up against the wall, immediately lost in the struggle for dominance. It was quite possibly one of the fiercest, most unbridled kisses she'd ever experienced. Lips and teeth fought against each other as hands grappled and explored, far too greedy for their own good. Vera found her hands tangled in Grawl's weird, spongy hair, pulling him against her more fiercely. Somehow, one of Grawl's legs found itself firmly planted between Vera's. In response, she rolled her body against his seductively, breaking the kiss to let out one of her best soft moans right into Grawl's sensitive ears. She smiled wickedly as she felt Grawl's whole body grow rigid, his grip on her waist tightening as he bit down hard on her neck with a low groan. It was too much.

"Inside. Now." Vera commanded. "I don't know how this'll work, but we are going to make this work, god damn it." She assured, running one hand beneath the brim of Grawl's collar and down his back, the other hand groping blindly for the door handle. Grawl looked a little bit like a lost puppy, eyes wide with a hint of disappointment at the sudden stop. He nodded curtly and followed her inside.

It was like the procession of sexual frustration. The two stomped pass a multitude of soldiers who looked confused and oblivious. Finally, they reached Grawl's private quarters, which they entered silently, and slammed the door.

* * *

The movie rolled by slowly at first, in the traditional Spielberg way. In the beginning Lem seemed to "ooh" and "aah" over all the same things ET did. Soon, Lem realized what Chuck meant by "funny noises."

Several shots later, the funny noises became a lot funnier. At some point over the course of the first half hour of the movie, Lem found his fingers laced with Chucks. Finally Lem couldn't help it. He let out something akin to a giggle-snort, covering his face with his free hand.

"What the hell would you do if I was that ugly?" he laughed, rolling towards Chuck a bit. Chuck screwed his eyes shut, letting out a guffaw.

"Can we stick to real life, and not think about the what ifs? No offence to ET, but he's a total turn off. Especially in drag." This got several hee-haws out of Lem and Chuck both (after Chuck explained what "drag" meant). Once the two had quieted down, Lem turned to look at Chuck, their faces close. The booze in Lem's system had blocked his discretion long ago. There for he had no problem saying what was on his mind.

"So does that mean I'm a turn on?" he asked through half-lidded eyes. Chuck almost seemed at a loss for words for a moment. He blinked stupidly twice before recovering. He whipped out his award winning smiled and leaned in a little closer.

"Are you kidding? You're the cutest green guy I know." He assured before leaning in for a tentative kiss. It was a slow, drunk kind of kiss, tongues dancing lazily back and forth. Soon it picked up in pace. Lem felt himself being rolled onto his back as Chuck began to put more effort into his ministrations. Soon everything became rushed and frantic. Lem found himself clinging to Chuck's shoulders as if he might slip away at any moment, Chuck firmly holding Lem's body to his own as their mouths continued to move against each other. ET was still playing, forgotten background noise at this point.

Chuck let out a suppressed groan, moving his hand between Lem's legs almost out of make-out habit. He stopped mid kiss to find that a bump had grown seemingly out of nowhere. Lem whimpered at the contact.

"Yeah?" Chuck asked against Lem's temple, his voice husky. Lem nodded helplessly, eyes closed.

Chuck took a breath, kissed Lem again, and then began doing anything he thought might feel good. So far, it appeared he would be figuring things out on his own. Apparently, whatever he was doing felt good, going by the range of noises Lem was making. Chuck wasn't terribly surprised to find that the men on this planet were similarly endowed to human males, they just took a little more convincing to come out of hiding.

Lem had a death grip on Chuck's shirt, his breath coming in short huffs against the human's neck. Chuck paused to reach up and unclench Lem's hands.

"Hey. You gotta relax buddy." He quietly soothed, squeezing Lem's hands in his own. Lem nodded, opening his eyes for the first time since they had started their little experiment.

"Sorry…" Lem mumbled, his throat dry. "I… can't say I participate in… these kinds of activities often." He managed to squeeze out, his voice only cracking once. Chuck couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

"Is that some kind of thinly veiled confession?" he asked, leaning forward to place a light kiss on Lem's neck.

"Maybe?" came the squeaky reply. Chuck laughed airily, moving his hands up to slowly unbutton Lem's shirt.

"Just… trust me." Chuck assured, moving his hands across Lem's chest before sliding back down between his legs. "I just want to make you feel good." He breathed into Lem's ear, causing a shiver to run up and down his spine. Lem nodded vigorously, slowly moving his hands to snake up the underside of Chuck's T-shirt. Chuck's movements became quicker, ushering Lem enthusiastically to a climax, which was greatly accepted. Lem threw his head back into one of the pillows, letting loose a deep, breathy moan as he shuddered his release. Chuck brought his hand up to inspect the transparent viscous fluid that now coated his fingers.

"Cool." He mused before wiping his hand on his pants. Lem laughed, eyes closed in emotional and physical exhaustion. He opened one eye to look up at Chuck who was beaming down at him.

"You're so cute in your little sex afterglow." He commented, leaning down to nip at the base of one of Lem's antennae, causing Lem to arch his back and run his hands down Chuck's neck.

"So… do I repay you now?" Lem asked, yawning unconsciously. Chuck laughed, rolling off Lem to pull him up against his chest.

"Naw, you can repay me some other time." He said, pressing his face into the top of Lem's head, reaching behind him to pull one of the blankets over them. They fell asleep to the ending credits of the movie.

* * *

"Well, that was interesting. Wonderful." Vera sighed, he head resting on Grawl's shoulder, one hand splayed across his chest. Grawl simply hummed in agreement. A light sheen of sweat coated both their bodies, and Vera was sure it would hurt her to sit down for at least two days. Mustering up as much willpower as possible, Vera pulled herself away from the warm body next to her and slid off the bed.

"Where are you going?" Grawl asked, sitting up and looking confused.

"I need to get back to the base." Vera said, as if it was obvious, picking her bra up off the floor.

"You didn't want to stay the night?" Grawl almost pleaded more so than questioned. Vera turned to look at him, half dressed with a sock in one hand. She had to admit that he was deliciously disheveled, hair falling into his face, completely naked except for the thin sheet that covered his narrow hips. It was his eyes, however, that brought Vera out of her lust haze. They were wide with hope and fear of rejection; hurt so visible that Vera swore she saw herself inside them.

She sighed audibly, letting the sock drop to the floor. Crawling back across the bed, she gave Grawl one of the sweetest, most apologetic kisses she could muster.

"Not tonight." She whispered, placing a hand delicately on his cheek. He didn't meet her gaze. She tilted his chin up for another kiss that turned into something far too passionate far too quickly. She broke away with a small gasp.

"I have to go." She asserted, attempting to keep her voice level. She finished dressing quickly before scooping her small purse up off the ground and heading for the door. With one final glance back in Grawl's direction, she was suddenly filled with anger at his pathetic, clingy display. What the hell did he want? It was a nice fuck, nothing more. She left without saying another word.

Walking home, she found herself annoyed and saddened by the ache in her chest.

* * *

_Oh snap! Here we are at the end of another chapter! Everything got heavy (as Chuck likes to put it). Thanks for sticking with me so far! Please review! _


	6. Chapter 6

_Hey hey hey. To all of you still hanging in there, good for you!  
I really do want more than anything to finish this story (so I can have a finished story that isn't from 2005...).  
Here's the next installment! It's been sitting on my harddrive for a while, giving me bedroom eyes until I posted it. Hope you enjoy! Things are starting to pick up... I think_

_Gregor_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 6 - Live and Let Live**

Vera was in a bad mood. She had returned to the base to find Chuck and Lem cuddling on the floor of the communications room, fast asleep. This put her in an even worse mood. She stomped furiously out of the base and into their cramped cabin to toss and turn angrily in her lonely bunk before waking up at the crack of dawn, unable to fall back asleep. With bloodshot eyes, she begrudgingly climbed down out of the cabin to shiver in the entryway. The harsh alien landscape was made cold by the soft twilight of morning. With heavy lids and a heavy heart, she made her way back over to the base. The small kitchen was far warmer and far more welcoming than she had ever recalled it to be. With the smell of coffee on the brew, Vera found herself suddenly overwhelmed with homesickness. All at once she longed for nothing more than to be in her own house, in her own kitchen, looking out of her back window into the steamy morning of a Florida sunrise, coffee in hand. Her cat, Thomas, never willing to stay off the counter top, would wander over sleepily to rub up against her elbow as she inhaled her surroundings, preparing herself for the day. She would play upbeat music as she went about her morning rituals before hopping in her car and making the twenty-five minute commute to the Kennedy Space Center. She could almost remember the smell of her car if she tried hard enough.

Vera was brought back to reality with the soft beep of the coffee machine signifying its completion. Thank god for small miracles. Like coffee. She fought back the growing lump in her throat by busying herself with sugar and powdered cream. She missed real cream. Outside, the sun was just beginning to creep over the edge of the horizon, casting long shadows across the desert-like terrain. _It will all be over soon._ She reassured herself, sitting down at the kitchen table, reading and rereading notes and observations of the previous day. For some reason, she didn't feel as at ease as she had hoped.

* * *

Chuck woke slowly, taking a minute to assess his surroundings. Lem was still tucked comfortably under his arm, breathing softly. Chuck couldn't help but grin and replay all the things that had transpired the night before. He delicately pushed himself up onto his elbow to get a better view of the small, green creature that was nestled against him. The slight jostling caused Lem to stir.

"Sorry." Chuck mumbled half heartedly as Lem's eyes fluttered open. He looked confused for a moment before he settled his gaze on Chuck.

"Hi." He said with a sleepy smile, voice cracking with sleep.

"Hi yourself." Chuck replied with an amused huff, leaning down to plant a small kiss on Lem's forehead. Lem stretched like a cat, back cracking, before snuggling back into Chuck's side.

"Do you think Vera is up?" Lem asked sleepily. Chuck shrugged.

"Knowing her, yes. Definitely. I should probably get up, anyways. Its almost mid day."

"Damn." Came the muffled groan from against his chest. Lem flopped onto his back, lazily buttoning up his shirt. Chuck climbed to his feet, stretching his hands up over his head for a second before walking out of the communication room, ignoring the blinking light on the console.

Once in the kitchen, he was confronted with a very unconscious Vera sprawled across the kitchen table. A pang of fear surged through Chuck and he leapt forward.

"Vera!" He shouted, shaking her shoulders roughly.

"WHAT. What!" she shouted back, bolting up right. A lone piece of paper remained stuck to her forehead. It slowly peeled away, revealing her red, swollen eyes.

"What?" she asked again, this time her tone flat and threatening.

"N-nothing." Chuck stuttered. "I was just afraid you were…. Uh." Suddenly Chuck felt very silly. "Sorry. Sorry if I startled you." He mumbled, the awkwardness in the room coming to a peak. There was a thick silence for a few moments.

"Are you okay?"  
"Yes I'm fine." Came the rushed response.

They were spared any more uncomfortable attempts at conversation by Lem walking through the door. He stopped in his tracks, eyes darting back and forth between Chuck and Vera.

"I… have to be going soon. I have a few errands to run today. I'll see you later tonight, Chuck?" He half asked half promised. Chuck tore his eyes away from Vera.

"Yeah, yeah… I'll walk you out." He said, cautiously exiting the kitchen and escorting Lem out of the base.

"What was that all about?" Lem asked, eyebrows furrowed. "You think something bad happened last night?"

"I have no idea. I'll do my best to console the inconsolable." Chuck assured. "I'll come to your place tonight." He said, leaning down to plant a firm kiss on Lem's lips. Lem reached up, trying to make the kiss linger, but Chuck pulled away.

"I need to go back inside." He said, almost ashamed.

"No, it's fine. I'll see you tonight." Lem sighed, offering Chuck a sideways smile before turning to walk to his car.

Back inside, Chuck padded softly back into kitchen. Vera was hunched over the table, her head in her hands. Chuck quietly sat down across from her.

"Uhh…" he cleared his throat awkwardly. Vera let out an enormous sigh, sinking even further onto the table.

"What are we doing here Charles? What are you doing? What am I doing? What could any of this possibly yield?" she whined, digging her fingers into her scalp.

"Vera, we're here on a scientific mission to collect…"

"Oh don't give me that bull shit. You know what I'm talking about. This… this… fraternizing with the natives! We have to stop! We're only hurting them." She dropper her hands onto the table, looking Chuck directly in the eyes. "You're only hurting him." She almost pleaded.

Chuck was taken aback at the upfront display of emotion. For a moment, he was simply at a loss for words.

"Hey." He began weakly. "Listen. You have to look at it differently. Stop thinking in terms of what will happen and just sort of… go with the flow. Lem and I both get it. We know that this will never last. But nothing ever lasts." He ended sagely, mildly impressed with himself for the impromptu speech. Vera didn't look convinced. In fact, she almost looked even more tired than before.

"Charles, an emotional investment is just that; and investment. You can't treat it like a college fling." She stated flatly. Chuck shook his head violently.

"That's now what I'm saying! Come on, Vera, look how torn up you are. Wouldn't you just be happier if you…" he trailed off, using vague hand motions to finish his sentence. "I mean, you'd get more done that way. You're pretty worthless in this state."

Vera cracked a half-hearted smile and flipped him the bird.

"I'm more of a man than you'll ever be, Charles T. Baker."

"That's a scary thought."

This sent the two into an interlude of soft laughter. As it died down, Vera rubbed at her eyes.

"Well, I wish I could have gotten this worldly advice before I made a complete ass of myself."

"It's never too late for redemption!" Chuck pointed out, puffing up his chest. Vera let out one last laugh, the tension finally easing from her shoulders.

Their tender moment didn't last too long when they were interrupted by a knock on the main entrance door.

"Damn, I forgot it's almost midday." Chuck cursed, jumping up and trotting out of the kitchen. Vera let out a deep sigh, alone once again. Even though Chuck's speech had helped, she still felt a twist in her gut when she thought about seeing Grawl again. She barely had time to collect her thoughts before the very object of her worry came strolling into the kitchen with Chuck and a small, excited native clutching a notepad to his chest. Grawl seemed to stop short, an expression of concern flashing across his face at Vera's disheveled appearance. Before any of them could speak, Vera was already out of her chair, pushing her hair out of her face, and straightening her shirt.

"Good afternoon. To whom do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" she asked, eyeing the small alien who seemed completely enthralled by his surroundings. He was older, wrinkles around his eyes and mouth crinkling with joy, and he sported a bushy mustache, despite the lack of 'hair' on his head.

"Vera." Grawl began, before correcting himself. "Miss Hawes, this is Dr. Glackle. He's a professor at Elingdorp University. It's a few cities north of our town. He's their professor of cultural studies and insisted on arranging a meeting with you and Mr. Baker." Grawl explained in a monotone voice. The small man couldn't seem to suppress himself any longer. He sprang forward, extending a gnarled had to Vera.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hawes! Truly a pleasure!" He exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. "If it isn't too terribly inconvenient, I would love to talk to you and Mr. Baker about your culture. Earth culture! It is, as General Grawl has informed me, not too terribly different from out own. Wonderfully fascinating!" He continued on, his voice cracking with excitement. Vera offered him a smile.

"It's no trouble at all. Please, have a seat." She motioned to the small table. Grawl and Dr. Glackle sat on one side while Chuck and Vera sat across from them.

Dr. Glackle seemed to have a never-ending flow of questions for the two humans. The conversation went from social structure to politics to religion to art to classical music and continued to spiral off at an alarming rate. Vera and Chuck both felt themselves becoming more and more relaxed, reveling in their own culture. Grawl seemed to look on curiously, his eyes drifting downwards to stair at the table every so often, his hands forming thoughtful steeples in front of his mouth. His eyes locked with Vera's at one point and she offered him a half-hearted smile and a slight shrug.

After the conversation had begun to slow down significantly, Dr. Glackle began to insist on having lunch in town. Grawl protested slightly, mostly for show, but gave in almost immediately. As they exited the base, Vera noticed the blinking red light on the console in the communications room. With a fair amount of internal struggle, she ignored it for the time being and followed the others in step. Chuck was overly enthusiastic to answer all of Dr. Glackle's questions. It was always nice for Chuck to be the center of attention. The two hadn't shut up yet. They piled into the green military jeep, Chuck and the Doctor chatting excitedly in the back, while a more reflective Grawl and Vera occupied the front seats, and promptly set off in the direction of the small town.

"Are you feeling better?" Grawl finally asked after a few moments of silence. Vera looked straight ahead, unflinching.

"What ever do you mean?" she asked, almost too innocently.

"You looked… ill this morning. I hope it was nothing I…"

"Yes, I am feeling much better." She cut him off.

"Good. Good to hear." His voice remained emotionless. Several more minutes passed in silence between them, Chuck and Dr. Glackle talking excitedly of 80's Hair Metal in the back.

"If I did anything to offend you…" Grawl began, turning to look at Vera momentarily before turning his eyes back to the road. Vera heaved a sight.

"Please, whatever you do, don't blame yourself." She huffed out, crossing her arms. Realizing how cross she sounded, she took a deep breath and continued in a much softer tone. "I acted out irrationally… I just thought maybe you... No, I didn't think at all. I shouldn't have left so abruptly. I'm… sorry." She almost whispered, as if the very words were taboo. "I hope I didn't make you feel cheap." She added. At this, Grawl actually let out a curt laugh.

"Vera, you made me feel many things, but I can assure you that you did not make me feel cheap." He almost chucked. "Confused, disappointed maybe, but not cheap." He reiterated, noticing Vera's shoulders sag at the word 'disappointed.'

"Can we try again? Redo?" Vera asked, kicking herself mentally for sounding like such a child.

"I was hoping for another opportunity." Grawl agreed, a contented smile spreading across his face before disappearing as quickly as it had come.

* * *

Lem was in, yet another, haze. He had stopped by the bank to deposit his last pay check and was now trying to restock his food supply. He pushed his cart through the grocery store without really seeing anyone or anything. Picking out several frozen food trays that seemed tolerable, he promptly headed for the check out line. He continued to move through his own personal fog until he reached the comic book store.

"LEM!" Skiff bellowed at him from behind the counter, his eyes the size of saucers as he clutched a crumpled newspaper. Lem smiled at him dreamily, assuming he was simply tweaked on the usual mumbo jumbo.

"Hey Skiff." He sighed. "Nice day we're having." he droned, gazing off into space. Skiff huffed, throwing his hands above his head dramatically.

"Nice day? NICE DAY? Do you even keep up with the news? Look!" he demanded, holding out the newspaper to Lem expectantly. Lem took it cautiously, smoothing it out on his leg so he could actually read it. The front headline mage his stomach drop.

"Dangerous? They think they're dangerous?" Lem asked, voice cracking.

"Apparently! They're real mad that our town hasn't publicized them. They think we're keeping secrets and aiding the aliens in their plan to take over our planet! It's crazy!" Skiff exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air. Just then, a small object darted from the corner of the room and swerved behind the counter.

"Rover!" Skiff bent down to pick up the small robot, clutching is to his chest. "They don't know about you, Rover. They'll never take you from me." He all but sobbed. Lem could barely hear over the throbbing in his ears. This wasn't a local newspaper.

"Where did you get this?" Lem finally asked, interrupting Skiffs gentle cooing at his pet robot.

"Um…. Uh…. Well you see… It's like… A customer brought it in." Skiff nodded vigorously with a nervous smile. Lem narrowed his eyes.

"There's something you're not telling me. I know you too well." He prodded, leaning on the counter to look Skiff in the eyes. The other boy shifted under Lem's gaze, looking anywhere but at Lem.

"It's not like that… it's just…"

Before Skiff could finish his explanation, the door to the comic book store opened. Skiff gulped audibly. Lem wheeled around only to have his jaw hit the floor.

"Neera?"

* * *

_I value your opinion! _


	7. Chapter 7

_Another chapter! Down the hatch!  
This one was fun to write. Things are getting pretty tense.  
_

_One little note: I appreciate all the reviews I receive! But if you're going to leave an anonymous review, don't ask questions expecting an answer. There's no way for me to respond. Also, I've had a couple of not-so-nice anonymous reviews. I don't want to turn the option off, so just know that you're review will be deleted._

_Thanks so much to my loyal readers! Hope you enjoy this chapter._

_Gregor  
_

* * *

**Chapter 7 - The Calm**

Lunch ended up being at a quiet little restaurant with an outside patio. The four dined quietly outside under a red and white striped umbrella. Dr. Glackle's questions never stopped.

"What exactly are your people's views on morality then? You say you have many forms of religion, so how do you narrow it down to an overall set of rules?" he pressed, scribbling in a notebook in between his bites of food. Vera tapped her lips thoughtfully.

"There really isn't anything _to_ narrow down. It's almost as if we're born with intrinsic morality." She replied, receiving thoughtful hums from Dr. Glackle. "Our basic rule is to honor sentient beings; anything that contains self-awareness." She shrugged, taking a delicate sip of her drink.

"But then again…" interjected Chuck, "we've never really had prolonged contact with what most people would consider 'sentient beings.' Like you guys. I mean, I think humans are totally biased. I can name at least five species on our planet that I'm convinced are sentient." He exclaimed, holding up five fingers to get his point across. Dr. Glackle hummed some more, scribbling things down in his notepad.

"And you said your race has a tendency towards violence?" he asked, almost hesitantly. Vera saw Grawl straighten from across the table.

"Well… yes. It is unfortunate, but we've never been the best at keeping peace. Not on our planet, anyways." She sighed and pushed some of her food around. _And probably not on this one._ She added silently. Dr. Glackle smiled empathetically.

"Well I'm sure General Grawl could give you a synopsis of our military history. It's probably no less bloody than any of yours. We just resolved a large 'disagreement' not but seven years ago. And to think the whole thing was started over the idea of nationalism! Racial superiority. Can you believe such a concept? Bah!" Dr. Glackle waved an arm about flamboyantly while Vera and Chuck gave each other knowing looks.

A small crowd was beginning to gather across the street. Curious eyes raked across the humans while hushed rumors were passed between the bystanders.

"Do people have no decency?" Grawl grumbled under his breath. Dr. Glackle patted his arm.

"Now, now, General. There's no harm in scientific curiosity! The humans are still a very new presence! And, as you know, other cities are starting to get jealous that you're keeping them all to yourself. Grawl's ears perked up.

"Jealous? What do you mean _jealous_?"

Before Dr. Glackled could give any answers, there was a small commotion from across the street.

"Chuck!" came a disembodied voice that sounded a little like…

"Lem?" Chuck rose to his feet as Lem darted through traffic to get across the street. He was followed closely by a gangly alien that just had to be Skiff, and a curvy little thing that looked a lot like…

"Neera!" he all but sputtered. Vera quirked an eyebrow at him as she gave the young girl a once-over.

"Hello Chuck!" She greeted him cheerily, though somewhat out of breath. "Long time no see."

"Sorry, no time for pleasantries Neera. Look at this!" Lem demanded, shoving the newspaper at Chuck's chest. "Neera brought it. It's from the city of Glabnop up north. She 's been filling us in on the way. We were heading to the base when we saw the crowd and assumed you were near by."

Chuck was only half listening to Lem's panted explanation. His eyes scanned over the words of the newspaper. Certain things popped out at him, including, but not limited to _dangerous_ and _alien occupation_, _global threat_ and _freak experimentations_. He handed the paper silently to Vera, who was now standing beside him.

"So what does this mean? They're going to kick us off the planet?" Chuck asked, looking from Lem to Neera to Grawl.

"What in blazes are you taking about? What does that paper say?" he demanded, rising from his seat to walk over to Vera. She hadn't shown any reaction since being handed the newspaper.

"Oh dear." Dr. Glackle sighed from across the table, placing his hands on both sides of his wrinkled face. "I do believe lunch is ruined."

* * *

"This is way too familiar. I am not going to spend the rest of our mission being chased all over the damn planet! I've already done it once!" Chuck shouted with dramatic hand movements to emphasize his point. He was currently pacing back and forth in the cramped kitchen/impromptu meeting room of the base.

"No one's chasing anyone." Grawl assured. He and Vera sat calmly on one side of the small table, Neera facing them, eyeing the general suspiciously as he spoke. "You're working with us, this time, not against us."

"We just need proof that you're here on a purely peaceful mission. Really solid proof that we can hand over to the media." Neera expounded, speaking mostly to Vera. She had hardly stopped staring at the human female since they'd left the restaurant.

"How sure are you that that would work? Couldn't they just as easily call us lairs and declare us hostile?" Vera asked, looking more at Grawl than Neera.

"Everyone just calm down." Lem spoke out, causing all eyes to land on him. "Chuck, stop pacing, you're making me nervous."

"Oh I'm making you nervous?" Chuck laughed dryly, crossing his arms.

"Fellas, play nice. This is nobody's fault." Vera rubbed her eyes in annoyance. "We just have to take some baby steps towards getting this little hiccup resolved. We have nothing to worry about because we _are_ here on a scientific mission. Nothing else." She nodded definitively. "Now I think Chuck and I need a little time to talk some things over." When nobody made an effort to move, she added: "In private." There were some muffled disagreements from Grawl and Lem, but otherwise the troop of non-humans shuffled out of the kitchen and into the open air, Vera herding them out further.

"Come back for supper! We'll discuss more then." She called after them before shutting the door to the base and sealing Chuck and herself inside.

She walked briskly back into the kitchen where Chuck had plopped down into a chair, looking absolutely miserable. There was a weird kind of tension in the air that Vera didn't quite understand.

"It'll be fine." She spoke softly. Reassuringly.

"I don't think you understand. They tried to kill me last time! Your guy tried to have me cut open!"  
"He is sorry about that…"

"I know! But that's not the point! The point is that this race of little green men is innately paranoid. We can't trust them to understand right away. We can barely trust them now!" He exhaled loudly, getting up from the table and walking out of the room. Vera stood awkwardly for a moment before fixing herself a glass of water and sitting down. She then proceeded to think.

Chuck meandered into the communications room, still in a full-blown state of anxiety. He glared at the blinking red light, wishing it would go away. Finally, after glaring at the control panel for a good minute, he sat down and pressed a button. Messages from Earth steadily started printing out over in the corner of the room. New orders from Kennedy, Chuck assumed. He kicked back in his chair, crossing his arms behind his head and allowing his mind to wander for a few, blissful, worry-free minutes. He thought of Lem, hoping he wasn't explaining too much to Neera. She might not quite understand their little "situation". He laughed to himself at the irony of it all. Soon he was thinking of just Lem and how he'd looked the night before: disheveled, writhing with ecstasy beneath him, lips moist and mouth agape… The jarring beep from the printer made Chuck irrationally angry. He stood up and furiously snatched the papers out of the tray and began to skim over them.

Back in the kitchen, Vera had been staring diligently into her glass of water, trying not to think of autopsies. She looked up exasperatedly as Chuck stormed back into the room, slapping the freshly printed papers onto the table.

"Reports from home. The stuff you sent them about the rain-rocks looks promising, but they still want to explore other options. They also want some DNA sample from some of the natives. I'm sure I could ask Lem to…" he was interrupted by Vera smacking her hands on the table, clawing at the papers in an attempt to bring them up to her face. There was tense moment in which Chuck said nothing and Vera's eyes scanned the pages. He lips moved silently as she read the reports.

"Charles." She whispered. "We have a problem."

"W-what do you mean?" Chuck asked, shifting uncomfortably. Vera remained silent for several moments longer, reading and re reading the papers.

"They ask for skin samples and hair samples. Fingernails. You know, the basic stuff." Chuck filled in for her. "I read the thing. What's wrong with that?"

"They go from talking about energy sources and exploring other options… to asking for skin samples from the natives? Charles, I doubt they're asking out of pure scientific inquiry. They're asking because…" Vera couldn't bring herself to say it. She covered her mouth and let out a low whine, dropping the papers on the table. Chuck felt the color drain from his face. He thought of his Lem, lifeless, hanging from some meat rack before being ground up and made into…

"Fuel. They want to see if these guys can be made into…fuel." He concluded, unable to feel his arms and legs.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Vera cried, covering her mouth with both hands now.

"After all this time…" Chuck felt himself beginning to shake with rage. Everything they had been told so far had been a lie. That's why their mission was so short. They wanted them to get in and get out before either of them had time to wise up. Then they would send in the big guns. He looked up to see silent tears running down Vera's cheeks as she continued to clasp her hands over her mouth. He swiftly sat down beside her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.  
"Oh my god, Charles." She whispered, leaning into him. "We really are hostile."

The two continued to sit there for a while longer, holding each other, feeling helpless and hopeless.

* * *

"So what is the female like?" Neera asked curiously, crossing her legs and leaning forward onto the small table. Lem had taken her back to his apartment for the time being. Grawl had dumped them just outside of town before speeding off in some unknown direction to do unknown military-government things.

"Vera's one of those people that you kind of have to warm up to." Lem explained, laughing nervously and drumming his fingers on the table.

"I'd love to talk to her." Neera smiled, eyes drifting. There was a prolonged pause between them before Neera spoke again.

"How's Chuck? I can't believe he came back after all that fuss last time." She laughed airily. Lem laughed as well.

"He's… still the same, really: confident, charming, a little too into himself." He laughed again, rubbing the back of his neck. "I never thought I'd see him again. So it's all a little surreal." He drew his lips into a thing line, feeling sheepish as his confession. He affixed his gaze to the table. Neera just smiled, oblivious.

"Yeah, same here. When word got out that the aliens had returned, the city went crazy! Of course, you guys have been keeping them all to yourselves over here." She chastised, winking playfully.

"It's really for their safety." Lem explained, trying to smile but finding no humor in the conversation. "General Grawl is a lot less uh… paranoid this time. So that's good." He ended lamely. "I just hope he can use his status to convince whoever needs to be convinced that they're here on a scientific mission."

"I mean, if they really _are_ here on a peaceful mission, there's no need for convincing, right? It should all be on paper." Neera interjected. Lem just nodded, his mind now drifting to Chuck. The last thing he wanted was for him to end up on some medical slab again, crazed scientists cutting away at his insides. Lem shivered unconsciously.

"Cold?" Neera asked.

"Yeah, a little. Want to step outside?" Lem offered, grateful for the distraction.

"Sure."

Outside, the sun was starting to edge closer and closer to the horizon line. Stores were beginning to close down and cars were slowly trickling away from the usual hub. Bars were opening and men began to loosen their ties.

"Wanna head back over to their little hide-out?" Neera asked hopefully.

"It's more of a base, and sure." Lem couldn't help but correct. They hopped in his car and drove half the way in silence.

"What's wrong, Lem? You're unusually silent. I mean, I know we didn't end on the best of terms, but I thought we were over these hostilities!" Neera pushed. Lem grimaced at the use of the word "hostilities," but managed a weak smile.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was coming off… that way. I just have a lot on my mind." He offered.

"You mean like Chuck?"

"What?" Lem sputtered, willing his cheeks to stay one color.

"You mean like all this stuff that's happening?" she clarified.

"Yeah, yeah, all this suff…"

* * *

"Well, what _are_ we going to tell them?" Chuck asked, his palms clammy as he pressed them against the table.

"I have no idea." Vera confessed, her voice hollow, eyes sunken. It had taken them both a good thirty minutes to collect themselves.

"I could be wrong. They could just want…" Vera couldn't even finish the sentence; it was that much of a lie. She sighed, letting her head fall into her hands. "I'll talk to Grawl tonight."

"Make sure you get him wasted or sexed up first," They both chucked wearily. A firm knock on the main door jarred them. Vera slid out of her seat and padded across the base. She swung open the door to reveal an anxious Lem and his little friend.

"Hey guys!" she greeted, realizing at once that it was far too cheery. "Um. Come on in." she motioned towards the kitchen, closing the door behind them. Chuck sat bolt up right when the three entered the kitchen, Vera bringing up the rear. He opened his mouth a few times, as if deciding on something to say, then just kept it shut and smiled at them. There were several beats of silence before Lem spoke up.

"Alright. What happened?" he asked, crossing his arms. Chuck fell forward onto the table, inhaling deeply.

"We just... got a message from earth... and they want to grindyouUPANDUSEYOUFORFUEL." He ended up yelling into the table. Vera covered her eyes with one hand.  
"Smooth, Charles. Smooth."

"Wait. WHAT!" Neera all but shouted. Lem just laughed.

"He's joking." He explained calmly. The moment his eyes locked with Chucks, he turned a paler shade of green.

"He's not joking." Lem gulped. He started at a hand being placed on his shoulder. It was Vera's. Lem thought distantly that this was the first time she'd ever made any sort of physical contact with him.

"We're at a loss." She confessed, cringing as if the words were acid on her lips.

"But…" Neera began, placing a hand against the wall. "But this changes everything."

"No!" Chuck yelled. "I won't let it. I won't _let them do this_!" His fists hit the table with a definitive bang, causing the room to fall into a helpless silence. Lem slid away from Vera to stand by Chuck. He had nothing to say, so he simply resigned to put his arm around Chuck's shoulder and leaned in to him. He felt the man shift, large arms encircling him in an embrace. Lem rested his lips against the side of Chuck's head, not quite kissing him, still aware of Neera watching. They pulled back, locking eyes. Warm hands cupped Lem's face as he placed his own hands onto the slope of Chuck's neck. Vera had averted her gaze, the intimacy of the moment becoming too much for her to handle. Neera continued to watch their interaction, her eyes misty.

"We'll figure something out." Lem assured, with a half smile. "Because there's no way I'll go down without a fight. I am no man's fuel." He laughed, rubbing a thumb along Chuck's neck. Within an instant Chuck had pulled him in for a kiss. Lem vaguely heard Neera make a surprised noise before he gave up on caring and wrapped his arms around the human, desperate for something good. It didn't last long. Chuck sighed against Lem's lips before he pulled back. Turning to look over at Neera, Lem gave a sheepish shrug.

"Ah… don't tell anyone."

"Right." She squeaked in reply. "But… you're both..." she shook her head furiously. "Never mind, that's not the issue." She exhaled loudly. Vera had turned her attention back to the group.

"Yes, all gayness aside, we have to come up with some kind of plan of action." She spoke, the forcefulness and confidence returning to her voice. "I'll arrange a meeting with Grawl and explain things as best I can."

"You think that trigger-happy military bozo is going to…?" Neera began, stopping short after receiving a warning look from Vera.

"Judge not, little girl." She cooed, venom dripping from each syllable. "He's on our side this time."

"How can you be sure? Ask Chuck what he did last time!" Neera protested.

"I don't need to ask _Chuck_." Vera assured, spitting out Chuck's name as if it were a curse. Neera visibly cringed.

"You're going to have to trust us. General Grawl is probably out best ally. He has the most power at his disposal." Vera continued, he voice calmer. "We need him."

As if summoned by sheer will, a knock at the main door caused the four of them to almost jump out of their skin.

"Ok, we all need to calm the fuck down." Chuck exhaled loudly; he pulled Lem to half sit on his lap, arm still firmly wound around his waist. Vera was grabbing her jacket and her communicator as she walked towards the doorway.

"If that's Grawl, I'm going to go back to the military base with him and talk things over. If you have any strokes of genius, doubtful, give me a call." She ordered, wiggling her communicator in Chuck's direction.

"Remember what I said about putting him in a _better mood_ before you drop the bomb." Chuck called after her, receiving nothing but a middle finger in response before she was out the door. Lem chucked lightly.

"Did you tell her to…?"

"Yep." Chuck smiled smugly. Neera coughed, directing both men's attention back to her. Lem vaulted out of his semi-sitting position to stand awkwardly between the two.

"I… need to get back to my hotel." She said, her facer turning a shade darker as she stared intently at the floor.

"Listen, I don't want you to go away feeling all awkward and weird. Do you want anything to eat before you leave? Drink?" Chuck offered, moving to stand.

"No! Not it's not that! I mean, it's not that I wouldn't want to eat with you guys… I mean." She squeezed her eyes shut, sighing. "This is just… a lot to take in. _All_ of it." She emphasized. "I just need some time to think."

"Neera." Lem began, taking a step towards her. "Please, _please_ keep this to yourself. I'm begging you. The whole hostile thing… the whole… um." He looked at Chuck and then back to Neera. "Thing. Can you promise me that you'll keep this a secret?" he pleaded, clasping his hands together. Neera looked back and forth between them.

"Who would believe me?" she asked, laughing a little.

"That's… not exactly the answer I was hoping to hear." Lem puffed.

"Alright, alright. I was just trying to lighten the mood. I promise I won't tell anyone." She said, raising her hands in defeat and smiling the best she could. "Would you mind taking me back to my hotel?"

"No problem." Lem returned her smile. "You wanna stay here Chuck? It'll be quick." He asked, turning back to the still tense human.

"Naw, I'll come with you guys. I don't want to be cooped up in this base anymore." Chuck sighed, stretching.

The three of them left the base in silence.

* * *

_Please review! _You guys are my motivation!


	8. Chapter 8

_Hello Readers!  
Sorry this chapter is a bit short (but not too short).  
I'm going to warn you now that this chapter is just a little more on the smutty side of things._

_If you're offended by sexual stuff, then why are you reading this in the first place? Go away. _

_But anyways, I'd say this story still has a couple more chapters of life left in it.  
Let's hope I can pull it off! Thanks to those who have been hanging in there. I love getting all the encouraging reviews. _

_~Gregor_

_

* * *

_

**CHAPTER 8 - Strangers Growing Stranger**

"So, that's the long and short of it," Vera sighed heavily, resting her head against an open palm. She and Grawl sat in one of the interrogation rooms in the military base, taking advantage of the soundproof walls. Grawl remained silent, his fingers resting in a steeple against his mouth, brow furrowed.

"This…" he began, his voice a deep rumble. "This changes everything," he concluded, eyeing Vera with narrowed eyes.

"Grawl. Please. You have to believe me when I tell you that _we had no idea_. They gave us _no reason_ to suspect anything like this might happen. Please," she clasped her hands across the table. "I would never wish this on anyone."

Grawl averted his gaze, looking somewhere over Vera's shoulder. The air in the room had become thick with tension. The rage and frustration in Vera's chest threatened to tear its way out in a scream. She wanted to beat her fists against the table in childish frustration, overturn a chair, anything to release this pressure building up inside of her. Instead, she remained silent, her throat constricted as she fought back a sob.

"My country, my _planet_, in this case, must come first. The welfare of my race, Vera," Grawl half shouted. "My emotions on the matter must remain completely neutral."

"I'm not asking you to make a decision based on emotion. I'm asking you to understand our part in this. We're willing to work _with_ you, even if it means our own freedom," Vera pleaded. "Don't you understand the sacrifices we're willing to make? I'll do anything to keep peace," she slid her hand cautiously across the table, her fingers lightly brushing against Grawl's. He didn't recoil like she expected, but neither did he respond to the touch.

"I don't know what to believe," he said evenly, eyes focusing on Vera once more. "Maybe it's been a ruse all along. Maybe," Grawl continued, beginning to stand as rage overtook him, "you bewitched me into putting my trust in the whole charade from the very beginning!" he roared across the table. Vera sprung to her feet, slamming her hands on the tabletop.

"Don't you _dare_ bring that into this! This thing between us is strictly personal. I don't _fuck_ for diplomacy," Vera spat back. Grawl raised himself to his full height, Vera mirroring his movement.

"I don't want to fight," Grawl began.

"Really? Well, what you just implied, those are fighting words, _General,"_ Vera shot back.

"You ask me to understand _your _perspective, yet are you even attempting to put yourself in my position?" he bellowed, anger still flooding his features. "You are not the victim here!"

"But that's where you're wrong! We're both victims here. We have both been betrayed," Vera attempted to reason, eyes turning soft. Nothing productive would come from getting into a yelling match. "Please," she rounded the table, approaching Grawl warily, raising a hand to rest on his shoulder. "A great philosopher on Earth once spoke of rising up to take one's own place in the universe, and not to fall victim to, well, victimization. If we are going to combat this… issue, then we need to do so together and not allow ourselves to point fingers. We can shape our own destiny; it's in our power."

The man sighed, eyes diverting themselves from Vera's face to ghost across the rest of her body.

"Ah, but your words are bewitching," he mumbled softly, taking the hand on his shoulder into his own. "And I cannot convince myself that you would conceive such a… diabolical plan," he confessed. "I want to be angry with you, for you have caused me more frustration in two days than I've experienced in months, but," he closed his eyes as Vera brought a hand to his face. "I know you're telling the truth."

They kissed. It was only the second time they had done so, and it was just as strange and wonderful has Vera had remembered from the night before. Only this time, there was no urgency. It was almost sorrowful, being treated with the care of possibly being the last.

"I will miss you," Grawl spoke against Vera's cheek. "I'll miss your skepticism, yet relative sanity," he chuckled sadly. Vera simply clung to him, unable to speak. She wanted to tell him that she would stay with him after it was all said and done. She wanted to tell him that she would never find another man like him. She wanted more than anything to just say what she felt.

"I'll miss you too," was all she managed to mumble, continuing to cling to him like a lost child.

* * *

Chuck sat awkwardly in the vehicle as Lem walked Neera up to the motel. Lem was being a gentleman. Chuck understood this. Despite all his reasoning, the man still felt uneasy at the thought of the possible conversation that was taking place between them. He hadn't meant to full-out kiss Lem in front of her like that, but, damn-it, if he didn't think with his dick half the time: heat of the moment, excuses, yadda-yadda.

Who was he kidding? He was an idiot.

"So we have an understanding?" They stood outside the door to her small motel room, Lem watching Neera fumbling through her purse to find her key.

"Lem, for the last time, I'm not going to say anything about you and Chuck. Besides, no offence, but it's not the bigger issue right now," Neera reasoned.

"I'm not really talking about the bigger issue right now…" Lem worried his hands as he studied the hem of her dress. "I'm talking about me and you. Um… you and me," he corrected, closing his eyes in frustration. Neera sighed, moving to grip the door handle to her room.

"Lem, what we had was a high school romance. It's over now. We've moved on. Clearly, you've moved on."

"I'm not even talking about that!" Lem protested.

"Then what are you talking about?"

There was an awkward silence in which Lem swallowed loudly and attempted to collect his thoughts.

"I'm not… uh… I'm not a queer, you know. It's just him. Only him," Lem explained quietly, refusing to meet her eye. "I just don't want you to think less of me." Neera let out a sigh, her eyes softening.

"Oh Lem, I don't think less of you," she cooed, stepping back towards him. "It's strange, yes, but you're still you, and we can't exactly pick the people we fall for," she smiled gently. Lem let out a breath he didn't realize he's been holding.

"I know. I know it's stupid for me to get all worked up. I guess old habits die hard. I can't help but want your approval… on everything," he confessed sheepishly, making Neera smile.

"You always knew how to charm me," she giggled, moving back towards the door. "Now go try and make your human feel better."

And with that, she stepped into her room and closed the door.

"What did she say? Are you sure she won't rat us out? Vera and I, I mean?" Chuck pressed from the moment Lem got in the car.

"It's fine. She's fine. It'll be fine." He chanted, attempting to convince himself along with Chuck. "Let's just go back to my place and… drown our sorrows in booze."

Chuck let loose a huge grin. "Sounds like my kind of plan!"

* * *

The apartment was cool and quiet in the dim light of the setting sun. As they walked through the front door, Chuck had the weirdest sensation of being home. It was fleeting, but all too real. It left him feeling a little emptier and smaller than before. Plopping down at the kitchen table, his eyes lazily trailed Lem as the young alien moved from the table to the liquor cabinet on the far side of the room.

"Alright, I'm feeling something a little stronger than usual will do the trick tonight," Lem called over his shoulder, tapping a finger against his lips thoughtfully before pulling out a rounded glass bottle. He poured the clear liquor into two shot glasses before sitting across from Chuck at the table.

"Do you have any, um… sayings on Earth? Like, before you take a drink?" Lem prompted.

"You mean like a toast? Yeah, sure, I think I can come up with one for the occasion," Chuck pushed himself to his feet, gazing out to the invisible audience around him melodramatically.

"My mom's dad, my granddad, was pretty much straight off the boat from Ireland," Chuck began to explain. When Lem gave him an inquisitive look he attempted to elaborate. "It's a different country. He came to America, got a job, and gave me his red hair," Chuck laughed sadly.

"But anyways, being Irish, he loved a drink. And he had a favorite toast:" Chuck cleared his throat, putting on his best Irish accent.

"I drink to your health when I'm with you,

I drink to your health when I'm alone,

I drink to your health so often,

I worry about my own!"

Lem let out a snort as they both raised their glasses and downed the shot. The liquor burned its way down Chuck's throat leaving him feeling a little warmer. The first shot was always the best.

"How about you? Do you have any toasts?" Chuck asked, sitting back down. Lem let out a low huff as he poured a second shot for them both.

"A grolnig can't fly with one wing," he said simply, sliding Chuck's now full shot glass back across the table. Chuck let out an amused laugh before downing his second shot.

"I'm going to assume that… word you just said is something akin to a bird," he said through his teeth, willing away the burning in his throat.

"Probably."

They shared several more toasts until Chuck was feeling better about himself. Then they shared a few more. Finally they managed to move into the small sitting room, both occupying a chair that was really meant for just one person. Chuck ran his hands along Lem's arms affectionately as the smaller alien sat stretched across his lap.

"You know, if NASA ever found out about this whole ordeal, not only would Vera and I be fired, but we'd probably be completely shunned from society," Chuck laughed as if he had just told the funniest joke of his life.

"That's… kind of funny?" Lem twisted to look Chuck in the eye. "But don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Good, good. That's good to know," Chuck wrapped a hand around the base of Lem's neck, drawing him down for a kiss. In the back of Chuck's mind, he felt a little guilty for always being drunk whenever he made intimate advances. He assured himself that it was _not_ because he wouldn't be able to go through with anything sober. He had, after all, given Lem that kiss. In front of Neera. And Vera. Man, even without the aid of alcohol he made stupid decisions.

"You think too loud," Lem whined, trailing a few kisses down Chuck's neck.

"I know. I'll try and keep it to a dull roar," Chuck replied, wrapping his arms fully around Lem before hoisting him up to straddles his hips. He felt Lem tense up. The alien laughed to hide his nervousness.

"Um… what did you have in mind?" the smaller man asked nervously, slowly tracing his fingers up the chords of Chuck's neck.

"Hey, don't stress about it. I want you to be in control this time." Chuck soothed, running his hands down Lem's back and across his thighs. He was already beginning to feel the spark of desire building up in his chest. Lem visibly shuddered.

"Alright," he swallowed. Leaning forward, he pressed his slightly parted lips against Chuck's once more. He felt large hands caress his lower back, moving up under his shirt. It was all still very strange and new. No matter how many times he tried to relax his mind, Lem couldn't get around how distinctly alien everything felt. The alcohol helped him ease most of the tension. Soon, he was unintentionally grinding his hips up against Chuck's. He felt lewd; like a teenager who couldn't control his hormones. His arms felt heavy against Chuck's chest and his fingertips had almost gone completely numb.

All at once, the walls he had been trying so hard to keep up came crumbling down around him. He jolted forward, tangling his fingers in Chuck's hair: those strange, soft fibers. He felt the vibrations of the human's moan as their mouths battled for control, all hesitation thrown to the wind.

"Oh…" Lem pulled back, eyes darting downwards as a blush crept across his cheeks. "Is that you're… um…?"

"Yep," Chuck let a sly grin slide across his face. It was wiped right off again as Lem ground his hips against Chuck's, hard. The human let out a surprised grunt, tightening his grip on Lem's hips.

"You minx!" he laughed breathlessly, Lem chuckling lowly along with him, eyes closing as his hands came to rest over Chuck's. He continued to grind his hips slowly against the man beneath him.

"Are we going to grind away like horny teenagers all night?" Chuck asked through clenched teeth, fingernails digging into Lem's thighs. "Or are you going to cut the teasing and keep some promises?" his eyes locked with Lem's, pupils dilated. The smaller man gave a solemn nod through half-lidded eyes.

Before he could register what was going on, Lem was being scooped up, legs wrapped around Chuck's waist, and being transported to his bedroom. The door closed with a definite, telling slam behind them.

* * *

_The philosopher Vera mentioned was Nietzsche.  
Please review! _


	9. Chapter 9

_Oh golly, long time no see !  
Sorry it took so long for me to update... real life and things and all that jazz.  
The good news is, there are only going to be (at most) two more chapters before this baby is finished! WHOO!_

I tried to make this chapter longer than my last few, to make up for my lack of updates.  
I'll warn you now, it's a bit of an emotional roller coaster with TONS of plot! I hope you're ready!

_With no further adieu..._

* * *

**Chapter 9 - The Storm**

Vera drummed her fingers impatiently on the kitchen table, mouth drawn into a thin line. Grawl sat across from her, expression painfully neutral.

"You're sure you alerted him?"

"Yes, yes I'm sure," Vera snapped. "I told him to get his pale ass back to base almost half an hour ago." She ran a hand across her face, half out of frustration, half out of exhaustion. Grawl _hmphed_ appropriately, twiddling his thumbs and staring off into space.

Just as Vera was reaching for her communicator, Chuck burst through the door, frazzled and out of breath.

"Sorry! So sorry. I was…"

"Save the excused." Vera cut him off, rising from her seat. "No more dicking around, Charles, we need to send a message back to base. Now." Chuck stopped in his tracks.

"And what exactly are we going to tell them?" he asked, his expression fraught with worry.

"That we could not convince any of the natives to give us skin samples…goes against their culture… yadda yadda… I don't really know! Anything! Anything to get their minds off of butchering these people," she exhaled sharply, wincing at the sudden pain that had just flooded her system. Migraines. Grawl placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

Chuck stared off blankly into the distance.

"What we need to do… is distract them," Chuck said in a calculating tone. Vera's ears perked up.

"Distract them with what?" she inquired, almost regretting what she might hear.

"Something useful…" He seemed to become thoughtful for a minute.

"Hey! Did we ever fully analyze those samples we got of their rain rocks?" Chuck snapped his fingers, pointing at Vera. She looked considerate for a moment, before dashing from the room without a word. Chuck and Grawl exchanged surprised glances before following her.

The three ended up in Vera's makeshift lab, huddled around the woman as she took a tiny sample of the ground up rock and began mixing it into a solution; it bubbled and fizzed angrily. Taking a dropper, she extracted some of the fluid and dropped it carefully onto a microscope slide, Chuck and Grawl leaning over her to watch her every move.

"Can a girl get some space?" she asked, elbowing Chuck a little. The two men mumbled their apologies, stepping back to stand in hushed anticipation.

A few quiet, tense moments later, Vera rose from her hunched position over the microscope, her back facing the two men.

"So?" Chuck prompted. Silence.

"Charles…" Vera breathed. The two men swallowed simultaneously.

"W-what is it? What did you find?"

Vera whirled on them, grinning from ear to ear, eyes shining with joy.

"I have never seen anything like this… it's… the compound! It's amazing! It's unheard of!" She gestured emphatically, leaping into Chuck's arms to give him a huge bear hug.

"You're a genius! Thank you!" she cried, still smiling.

"Ah… haha. I think _you__'__re_ the genius, Ver-Bear," he patted her back awkwardly. Vera pulled back, a look of horror on her face.

"I told you to never use that nickname ever again," she gasped, eyes darting to Grawl and back. There was a moment of tense silence before the two burst out laughing, leaving a very confused Grawl to stand there in a state of utter puzzlement.

"So… is this good news?" he finally ventured to ask. Vera let out another joyous laugh.

"Yes! Yes, this is wonderful news! This solves everything! Well… almost everything," she smiled sheepishly. "There's still a lot of work to be done. It's not exactly the quickest of fixes, but it's a start! The compounds created by your rain rocks, when combined with hydroxide, a relatively stable solution to begin with, causes the hydroxide to break its bonds at an accelerated rate, producing a surprising amount of energy! I… honestly, I barely understand how it's possible." Vera fell back dramatically into a chair, pressing a hand to her forehead. Grawl and Chuck exchanged glances of mutual confusion at the chemistry jargon.

"And to think you put these things in a dump," Vera mused, holding up a still-in-tact rain rock.

"These annoying little rocks are going to save our planet and my people?" Grawl asked skeptically. Vera gave a nod and a smile.

"I do believe they will."

* * *

Lem paced back and forth in his apartment. It had been almost an hour since Chuck had left, and he was beginning to get nervous. What if something had gone wrong? What if the military had detained them and Lem was just sitting at home, doing nothing? Decidedly, Lem grabbed his wallet and keys and began heading for the door. Just as he was about to reach for the doorknob, there was a firm knock. Lem retracted his hand, startled, before quickly opening the door.

It was not Chuck. In fact, it was no one he recognized, but he immediately knew that this figure demanded attention.

"Are you Lem?" the male figure in front asked. He was wearing what appeared to be a military uniform, but it looked nothing like Grawl's.

"Y-yes?" he stuttered. The front man, nodded curtly to his buddies behind him.

Without warning, Lem was bombarded by three men in strange uniforms, throwing him onto his back before flipping him over onto his stomach. Lem cried out in pain and fear.

"What's going on!" he shouted in confusion, cold handcuffs tightening around his wrists as his breathing accelerated to the point of hyperventilation.

"You are being detained for possible associations with the alien hostiles. You will be apprehended for questioning until further notice. Lieutenant Glork will now read you your rights…"

Lem barely heard any of his rights, the world becoming a fog as panic set in. He was shoved none too gently into the back of some dark vehicle, two guards seated on either side of him.

"Where are you taking me?" Lem demanded, sounding more fragile than authoritative. He received no answer. He felt as though he might pass out.

"I can't breathe…. I can't…" Lem begged, eyes bulging from the lack of air in his body. A needle was forcibly jabbed into the side of his neck, causing him to scream in pain. Soon the world began to blur around the edges and Lem felt his eyelids begin to droop. Soon, he forgot where he was and drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"I can't believe the answer was right under our noses the entire time," Chuck exclaimed, leaning back in one of the communications room chairs casually. "Seriously, this feels way too easy."

"Yes, well, it isn't. We still have to send Kennedy our findings and our general analysis and wait for their response. It'll take at least a couple of days until we get the 'all clear' on their end," Vera rebuked. Chuck sighed dramatically.

"You always have to rain on my parade, don't you?" he whined.

"I'm not raining on anything, I'm just putting things into perspective," she corrected, still typing up the lengthy report.

"And…. Done. Alright. Now we play the waiting ga-" Vera was cut off by frantic pounding on the front door of their base. The two exchanged worried glances before getting up and hurrying out of the room. Chuck swung open the door to reveal a very anxious, very out of breath Skiff.

"Skiff? What the… did you run here?" Chuck asked, peering outside, squinting into the bright sun of midday. Skiff shook his head, pointing wordlessly to a bike that had been thrown onto the ground.

"Still impressive," Vera commented from behind Chuck.

"Lem! They took him!" Skiff wheezed, his expression frenzied and eyes watery. Chuck felt his heart stop.

"Who? Who took Lem?" he demanded, surprised at his own commanding tone. He felt Vera go completely still behind him. Skiff shook his head wordlessly, still trying to catch his breath.

"I… don't know," he gasped, leaning on the doorframe for support. "Big… military-looking guys… never seen them before."

Chuck was out the door before Vera could even open her mouth.

"Charles, wait! What do you think you're going to do?" she called after him desperately. He had picked up Skiff's fallen bike, mounting it with determination.

"I'm going to find him," he called back before taking off down the dirt road.

"Hey! That's mine!" Skiff called after him. Chuck obviously didn't care, as he didn't turn around once.

"We have to contact Grawl. Get inside. Quick," Vera ordered, and Skiff could do nothing but obey, watching with desperate eyes as Chuck's figure slowly disappeared into the distance.

* * *

Lem awoke to a pounding headache and a stiff neck. He was seated upright in a dark room, tethered to his chair. A single light sat on the table in front of him, the figure across from him was hidden in the half darkness of the room.

"Do you know why you are here, Lem?" the voice asked, his tone calm and smooth.

"Not… really," Lem responded, his throat dry. He squinted at the offensive light.

"You are here because we believe you have valuable information about the hostile aliens. We need to know what you know. If you cooperate, you will be set free, unharmed. If you fail to comply, extra measures will be taken to insure that you never see the light of day again." It was not a threat; it was a promise. Lem swallowed.

"Now, I will begin by asking a series of questions to which you will answer either yes or no. Question one: Is it true that you aided in the prevention of one of the human's captures the last time it was on this planet?"

"Yes, but…" Lem tried.

"Only answer with 'yes' or 'no,' please. Question two: Have you been spending a prolonged amount of time over the past few days with the alien hostiles?"

"Yes. They're not…"

"Question three: Are you aware of any plans that the alien hostiles may have that threaten the safety of our planet and its people?"

Lem paused, thinking back to the conversation he'd had with Chuck and Vera in the kitchen of their base. He thought of the terror in Vera's eyes, the repulsion on Chuck's face.

"No," Lem answered finally.

"You are lying," the voice stated neutrally.

"I am not lying," Lem assured, his voice more confident than he felt. "I don't know of any plans that either Chuck or Vera have to plot against us. They are _not_ hostile."

There was soft muttering from someone behind the figure across from him. Lem gulped, a shiver running up his spine. He had no idea how many people were in the room with him right now. The murmuring stopped and the figure across from him straightened.

"Alright. Thank you for your cooperation," he stated in monotone.

"So you'll let me go?" Lem dared to ask.

"I'm afraid not," the voice replied, causing Lem's throat to tighten.

"We will be holding you here until further notice."

"Why! Why are you doing this?" Lem cried, finally losing his cool. He felt a shift in the room, as though whoever was in there was waiting for him to ask that exact question.

"We are doing this for the protection of our species, Lem," the voice replied calmly. The lights flickered on above him, causing Lem to shrink back into his chair and hiss in pain. When his vision cleared, he felt his stomach drop.

Sitting across from him was Dr. Glackle, a smug smile plastered across his face. Several other thin-faced men stood behind him, each carefully expressionless.

"Pr-Professor Glackle?" Lem stuttered in disbelief.

"Surprise." Glackle mock-shrugged, smiling in false sympathy.

* * *

"I want a team to go to Lem's apartment and see if you can find any clues as to who might have taken him. We've already sent out a team to survey the surrounding area. You," Grawl pointed at two short, squat soldiers. "I want you two to work on finding the nearest military bases as well as names involved. We have limited time, people. We don't know who we're up against here," Grawl boomed over his soldiers. Men were scrambling about in a flustered panic, practically tripping over one another. As soon as Vera had gotten to the base, chaos had broken out. Apparently Grawl didn't take kindly to his citizens being abducted by outside military personnel.

"Now, tell us one more time what you saw. As many details as possible," Grawl commanded, turning to a cowering Skiff.

"I saw a team of about five guys, big guys, they looked kind of military, but something was off. Anyways, I saw them bust into Lem's place and haul him own. They threw him into the back of some van and sped off! I came to you guys immediately after!" he ended, looking desperately at Vera, who attempted to give him a sympathetic look.

"Vera," Grawl addressed her in a softer tone, yet still remained tense. "Have you heard anything from Chuck?" he asked, his tone a little too hopeful. Vera shook her head.

"Not a peep. I'm worried, Grawl," she admitted openly.

"I know," he replied, an unspoken _I__am__too_ lingering in the air.

"We'll find them, right?" she asked, feeling helpless and hating it. Grawl nodded solemnly.

"We'll find them," he assured.

"Sir!" a soldier called from across the room, running towards him.

"Our surveyors have identified an unregistered facility just outside of the city limits! It doesn't appear to be military run, but it seems heavily guarded. Permission to investigate further?"

"Permission granted," Grawl saluted. "I'm taking this as a lead," he said, turning to Vera. "We established diplomatic terms of your stay on our planet the day of your arrival. The chance of this being a military operation, even outside of our own city, is slim. We can only assume that this is a privately run organization. Judging by this boy's visual description of the men, I'd say it's a safe assumption." Vera nodded at everything Grawl said.

"So how do we act? Do we invade?" she pressed, unfamiliar with military tactics on her own planet, much less on this one. Grawl shook his head.

"No, that would be too risky. If they are holding Lem captive, they could have him anywhere and under any kind of pressure. We don't want him to be harmed in any way, even by accident."

Vera swallowed, her throat dry. Not a few hours ago, she had just found the solution to all of their problems. Now, it seemed as though things were just as dismal as they had been the day before.  
"Charles…" she whispered under her breath. "Where are you?"

* * *

Chuck entered Lem's apartment silently. He looked around for any signs of distress, pulse pounding in his ears. Nothing was out of place, not a single object overturned. His eyes scanned the kitchen before moving through the living room, and finally into Lem's bedroom.

His breath caught in his throat at the sight of the small piece of paper that lay innocently on Lem's pillow. Chuck darted over to it, picking it up to read it.

_Captain Charles Baker,_

_We have Lem. He will not be harmed if you cooperate. Take the main road out of the city until you get to Dregdob Drive. Turn left and follow the road until you see a large warehouse. You will find Lem there. Come alone or we take his life. This is not a joke. _

Chuck felt his pulse quicken even more, this time out of sheer anger. They had kidnapped Lem. They had stolen him out of his own home and were holding him hostage. But why? Why would someone do that?

Without a second thought, Chuck dropped the note back onto the bed and ran out the door.

* * *

"Why!" Lem yelled. "I thought you liked them! Why would you lie?" he demanded, anger boiling in his stomach. "I thought you wanted to learn from them!"

"I learned all I needed to know when they admitted to being exactly like us," Glackle hissed. Lem bit his tongue to keep him from saying anything else.

"Our race is diseased as it is. Most of us are nothing more than filthy little bottom feeders, satisfied with sitting in our own filth as we fornicate and spawn and fill the world with more disease and pestilence," the man spat, a look of utter disgust and hatred on his face. "We are a planet divided; we will never truly be able to overcome such ridiculous ideas of _race_ and _privilege_ without some kind of morale boost." Lem listened quietly, hoping the man's monologue would eventually cause him to spill his plan.

"And then along came an alien race. Such a perfect scapegoat, wouldn't you say?" Glackle asked with a demented smile. Lem remained silent.

"I saw the opportunity, so I seized it. I planted the first seeds of doubt by writing that ridiculous, over-the-top article about the hostility of these so-called humans. And oh! Did it ever catch people's attention!" Glackle smiled, cackling gleefully.

"What better to bring together the morale of the people than an outside threat; an _alien_ threat? It will bring us all together! We can band against a common enemy! We will become stronger!"

"You're insane. They'll find me," Lem said at last, his voice confident. Glackle just laughed.

"Oh I certainly hope they do! I'm counting on it, actually," he sat back in his chair. Pulling a cloth from his coat pocket, he began to clean his glasses.

"For, you see, once they do get here, I'm going to kill them."

* * *

_Dun dun dun! I'm so terribly for leaving off with a cliff hanger like that.  
But I promise, my next update really won't take as long as the last one. _

Cheers!  
Mr. Gregor Samsa


	10. Chapter 10

_I lied! This won't be the last chapter! There will be an epilogue.  
Good god, I stayed up way too late writing this... but sometimes the plot bunnies just force me to stay awake.  
Anyways, here's the action packed, second to last chapter in my story! I hope you like it!  
_

* * *

**Chapter 10 - Sweet Charity**

Chuck stood in front of the warehouse, the sun beginning to set in the distance. It was a massive and foreboding structure, a metaphorical tombstone on the horizon. It could be his tombstone if he wasn't careful. Chuck may come off to other as being an irrational, gung-ho type personality, but he didn't pass every single test NASA threw at him with balls and guts alone. Charles T. Baker was a smart man, and he was also a fool.

He charged down the path that lead to the front of the building, hoping to god his plan would work. He skidded to a sudden halt as the doors in front of him opened, revealing four guards with guns pointed directly at Chuck's chest. He stood there, both hands in the air, a sheepish grin stretched awkwardly across his face.

"You got me boys," he admitted with a small laugh. The soldiers parted to give way to another figure that stepped out into the fading sunlight.

"Professor?" Chuck asked, eyes widening in disbelief. Glackle smiled smugly.

"Mr. Baker. Come to rescue your friend I presume?" Glackle asked calmly. Chuck's brow furrowed.

"What have you done with him?" he growled, taking a threatening step forward. He heard the soldiers charge their guns, making him remain where he was.

"My, my, such _passion_. The way you two pine for each other… You act like _lovers_," Glackle sneered, eliciting several sounds of disgust and amusements from his gunmen. Chuck flushed in both anger and embarrassment.

"Don't worry, _Captain_," the Professor mocked, "Your little boyfriend is safe. Just follow us and we'll take you to him."

Without hesitation, Chuck took a step forward and into the facility, gunmen flanking him on both sides. He glared a hole into the back of Glackle's head as they walked, hoping to god he'd drop dead from the sheer amount of hate waves Chuck was pummeling him with. He realized halfway through walking that he should probably be paying attention to the rout they were taking. Sighing internally, he began to pick out landmarks and tried remembering _left, left, right, left, right, right, straight_ and so on. Finally, after descending a set of moist, rock-cut stairs, they came to a halt.

"Oh Lem!" Glackle called sarcastically. "We've brought you your little human!"

Chuck peered into the dark room, seeing the vague outline of, what appeared to be, a large jail cell in the corner. Lem rushed into the small amount of light produced by an unstable overhead lamp. His eyes had dark, purple circled beneath them, but other than that he appeared to be unharmed.

"Chuck! You idiot!" Lem shouted. The gunmen laughed, pushing Chuck towards the jail cell.

"Um, glad to see you're alive?" Chuck ventured, letting out an _oof_ as he was shoved into the cell with Lem.

"You let yourself get caught! Why? Why would you do that? You shouldn't have come after me…" Lem whined, grabbing onto his ears and pulling them downwards.

"You two can talk out your differences. I'm sure the female will be arriving soon. We'll have to make preparations to accommodate her." Glackle dismissed his gunmen and began to follow them up the stairs. He turned and paused.

"Oh, and don't get to frisky. You're on camera," he said, pointing at a small camera stationed in the opposite corner of the room that was aimed directly at the cell.

"Toddleloo!" he waved his fingers before disappearing up the stairs.

"God that guy is an ass hole!" Chuck exhaled. "Honestly I didn't see that one coming," he laughed, turning to Lem. His companion had seated himself against the back wall of the cell, slumped over on the floor.

"Hey, buddy, what's wrong? We're together now. We'll get out of here. And hey! Good news! My planet isn't going to grind you guys up anymore!" Chuck assured, moving to sit down beside Lem. He put an innocent arm around his friend's shoulder in condolence.

"You shouldn't have come…" Lem all but whispered.

"Why? You think I would just leave you here? No way…" Chuck smiled confidently, his teeth still very white in the dark.

"They're going to kill you. Then they'll kill Vera. They're going to make it look like some kind of conquest," he sighed. "So you found a solution to the whole butchering us thing, but they're still going to make you guys the enemy. Make you seem like a threat somehow… I don't know how. He didn't elaborate." Lem wiped away a tear that threatened the corner of his eye.

"Hey, come on now, you really think I'd run in here without a plan?" Chuck asked, trying not to show how unnerved the revelation had made him. Lem blinked up at him wearily.

"Yes?" he questioned. Chuck _ppft_ed at him.

"No way! I've had a plan all along!" he exclaimed, grabbing Lem and moving him in front of Chuck before he reached down into the front of his pants.

"Um, Chuck, as romantic as all this may appear, I really don't think now's the time," Lem cut in. Chuck just rolled his eyes before pulling out a gun. Lem's eyes widened.

"Oh. I see," he said dumbly.

"First thing first, we gotta knock out that camera," Chuck explained, speaking in a low voice. Lem realized then that Chuck had moved him so he would block the camera's view of the gun. He simply nodded in affirmation.

"I tried to pay attention as much as I could when they were leading me down here, but this place is a freaking labyrinth! So I'm going to need your help trying to find our way out."

"Right!" Lem was getting excited.

"The most important thing is to get out alive at this point so… please don't judge me if I kill someone. I promise I won't aim to kill," Chuck pleaded, and Lem found it odd for some reason.

"I mean, we're in a sticky situation here. The way I see it, it's either kill or be killed," Lem offered with a shrug, which seemed to give Chuck some solace. He nodded once.

"Alright, are you ready?"

"Ready."

"Stay where you are," Chuck ordered, raising his wrist to rest on Lem's shoulder. He took aim at the camera and fired.

* * *

In the control room upstairs, one of the surveillance screens blacked out. However, it went unnoticed. The guards on duty were in the midst of a rousing game of cards; completely unaware of the captives they were supposed to be watching. A few hallways down, Glackle sat in his office, typing away on a typewriter, composing his speech for after he saved the world from the vicious aliens. Several miles out, Grawl, Vera, and an impressive number of soldiers assessed the warehouse from afar.

"What is it with unassuming warehouses and military operations?" Vera asked.

"For the last time, this isn't military," Grawl grumbled. She shrugged.

"Still, it's awfully cliché," she pointed out.

"What's the news?" Grawl asked into one of Vera's communicators that she had lent them for the mission.

"Definitely a base of some kind, Sir," came the reply from a young soldier. "There appear to be several points of entrance, but the main one is right smack dab in the front. I can only assume that is where they'll be least vulnerable. Best come in from the sides."

"Excellent work, soldier, now return to your squadron," Grawl commanded.

"Yes, Sir, over and out." The communicator beeped definitively.

"Can you use a gun?" Grawl asked. Vera just stared at him.

"I can," she admitted slowly. Without another word, he handed her a strange, metallic gun, clasping bother her hands around the handle and holding them there.

"Promise me you'll use it if you're threatened," he demanded, his eyes pleading. Vera nodded slowly.

"If I'm threatened," she repeated. The last thing Vera ever wanted to be a part of was war, of any kind. She despised killings, thinking there nothing intelligent about taking another creatures life unless one planned on eating it. Military tactics always appalled her, senseless bloodshed making her stomach turn. Yet somehow, as Grawl commanded his forces, she saw a strange sense of elegance in the way they worked together, as one. It was like a cell, groups of people doing multiple jobs at once, all working towards one cause. It was neat, efficient, and somewhat impressive. In all the chaos, Vera found it quite ironic that she had found momentary beauty in violence.

* * *

After a few tries, Chuck had blasted through their cell door, the two moving swiftly up the stairs. Lem stayed close behind, constantly circling, walking backwards, then sideways, then forwards, then sideways. It was making him dizzy, but he had to do it. He had to be able to see everywhere at once, which he knew was impossible. And yet here he was, attempting just that.

Maybe it was dumb luck, maybe it was perfect timing, or maybe Chuck really did have everything under control, but everything was going unbelievably smoothly. That is, until Chuck came to a grinding halt in a four way intersection.

"Alright, this is where things get foggy," he whispered, gun outstretched, moving his arm from one hallway to the next.

"Should we flip a coin?" Lem asked helplessly.

"Do you have a coin?"

"… "

"Then that's not going to work."

Down the hall, the sound of people approaching caused Lem's heart to jump into his throat.

"We gotta hide!" he hissed hysterically.

"Follow me," Chuck ordered, moving up against one of the wooden doors. Holding his gun at the ready, he slowly turned the knob. Rushing inside, Lem heard a surprised shout, followed by a dull thud. He rushed in, closing the door to find Chuck standing over the body of an unconscious soldier.

"Is he dead?" Lem asked.

"No, I just knocked him out, but find some rope or something. We have to tie him up." After they had secured the soldier and Lem had taken his gun, Chuck pressed his ear to the door. The small group of soldiers outside marched past the room they were occupying and down the hall. Chuck let out a shaky breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Alright, let's get back out there and…" Chuck froze. Out of all the possible rooms, they appeared to have stumbled into a very important one. Lem was already staring at the blueprints that were spread across the large, wooden table.

"Is that…?" Chuck started.

"A missile," Lem supplied, shaking his head slowly in disbelief. Emblazoned on the side of the sketched missile were the American flag and the NASA logo.

"They're planning on using this against their own people… and blaming it on _you_," Lem sputtered in disbelief. He turned to Chuck, eyes wide, his innocence seeping away by the second.

"They would kill people needlessly just to prove a _point_?" he asked, almost hoping Chuck would tell him it wasn't true. Chuck had nothing to say. He stood there, gun hanging limply at his side, speechless.

Lem rolled up the blueprint, folding it once. He strode over to Chuck.

"Put this in your jacket," he instructed, and Chuck did so. "If we get out of here, we have the evidence to prove these guys were nuts." Chuck nodded, tucking the incriminating blueprint into the inside pocket of his blue jacket.

"Hey, what's that?" he asked, peering around Lem. Beneath the missile blueprints lay something that looked like a floor plan. The two shuffled over to the backside of the table, brushing the extra papers out of the way. Sure enough, there were the blueprints to the very building they were in. Chuck let out a gleeful laugh.

"They must have made these when they converted this place into a base!" Lem exclaimed, grinning. It only took them a minute to pinpoint their location, retracing their steps on the map.

"My god, we're so close to an exit!" Chuck exclaimed.

"Not close enough."

The two jerked to look up. Glackle had opened the door silently, three soldiers flanking him, guns aimed directly at Chuck and Lem.

"My, my, you two really _are_ quite the duo. I must admit, I never saw this coming," Glackle sneered, maddeningly calm. Lem and Chuck remained frozen, both of their guns hidden under the table.

"Now, if you'd please take your filthy hands off of those floor plans, we'll be taking you back to your cell.

"Hmm…" Chuck seemed to contemplate, "Nah."

With one swift movement, Chuck kicked over the large table, grabbing Lem by the shirt and pulling him down behind it. Glackle shouted in surprise as gunfire began to fly over their heads.

"Stay down," Chuck whispered.

"Get them!" Glackle screeched.

Chuck took a deep breath, readying his gun before spinning to his knees with lightening speed. With practiced ease, he targeted and shot all three soldiers before they had time to figure out what the human was doing. As they each fell, the terrified look on Glackle's face gave Chuck all the confidence he needed. Rising to his feet, he aimed the gun directly at Glackle's head.

"Now it's your turn," he said, feeling like an action movie star. To his surprise, Glackle turned on his heel and bolted out the door.

"Hey!" Chuck shouted. "Coward!" He motioned for Lem to get up, the two of them taking off immediately.

"Alright, follow me!" Chuck called to Lem behind him. "Gun at the ready!"

The two ran swiftly down the corridor, moving with ease now that they had a destination. They finally made their way to a large hanger that housed a lone helicopter-type machine. Pressed against the wall, they attempted to squeeze into the shadows as a group of soldiers with guns trotted across the large expanse. Alarms were sounding off in the distance as well as the sound of gunfire and shouting. Lem turned to Chuck.

"Do you think Grawl got here?" he whispered. Chuck shrugged, eyeing the door at the opposite end of the hanger.

"Whatever it is, their attention is diverted," Chuck whispered back. "Come on, we need to move."

The two scuttled along the wall for a minute before breaking into a run across the hangar. Chuck felt hope flitter into his heart. They were so close.

A shot rang out, echoing through the hanger. Chuck and Lem froze, mere feet from the door to freedom. Another shot and Chuck cried out, falling backwards as pain ripped through his upper body.

"NO!" Lem screamed, stupidly dropping his gun to fall to his friend's side. A harried Glackle slowly crossed the hall towards them, completely alone, limping, gun raised.

"You think I'd let you get away that easily? You may have gotten the military in on this, but at least I can go away with the satisfaction of watching the _both_ of you die!" Glackle shrieked, spittle flying from his mouth in his hysterics. "Starting with the human," he said, aiming the gun at Chuck's head. Lem sucked in a breath, looking into Chuck's eyes for the last time, drinking in their life.

Just then, the door behind them opened. Glackle quickly looked up, frozen in surprise. There stood Vera, stone-faced as ever. She looked at Glackle with his gun, down at the bleeding Chuck and terrified Lem, back up at Glackle, and promptly raised her gun and shot, all without ever batting an eye.

Glackle went down, hitting the ground with a thud, eyes still wide with shock and disbelief as his gun clattered across the floor and away from him. More of Grawl's men flooded the room, guns at the ready, Grawl himself among them, sprinting towards Chuck, Lem, and Vera.

"He's hurt," Vera said, kneeling beside Chuck, pressing a hand over his wound.

"It's not fatal, but we need to get him out of here," she ordered. Grawl motioned and several of his soldiers stepped forward to help carry Chuck out of the base. Before they began to move, Chuck reached into his jacket and pulled out the blueprint. He pressed it into Vera's hand, nodding once. She tightened her grip around the piece of paper, watching as the soldiers carried her partner out of the building, a worried Lem trailing behind them.

Grawl was looking down at Glackle.

"Poor, insane bastard," he mused, shaking his head. Vera let out a heaving sigh, letting her gun fall to the ground.

"Don't ever make me kill someone ever again." There was a pause in which the two simply stared at the dead Professor.

"I did not make you kill anyone," Grawl stated neutrally. Vera remained still for a moment before turning and walking out of the base. Grawl lingered briefly before following her.

Vera stood a few meters away, looking across the desert as the soft twilight turned the rocks and sands into hard blue and black silhouettes on the horizon.

"What you did was admirable," Grawl assured. Vera did not face him.

"Yes, I suppose it was."

"Captain Baker and Lem are safe now, the entire operation has been apprehended. We have succeeded."

"Yes, we have."

"What is wrong, then?" Grawl asked, trying his best not to sound impatient. Vera finally turned, her eyes bright even in the coming darkness.

"Nothing is wrong, and that's the problem," she sighed. Grawl took several commanding steps forward, looking Vera straight in the eyes.

"You think too much," he stated before pulling her in to a forceful kiss. Vera could do nothing but kiss back.

* * *

"He'll be okay?" Lem asked again, wringing his hands in nervous anticipation.

"Yes! For the last time, yes! He's fine! It was a minor wound!" the old doctor shouted, mumbling something about nagging as he packed up his back. "You can go see for yourself if you want," he barked. Lem didn't need to be told twice. He burst into the white, sterile room of the hospital, shuffling over to Chuck's bed, which was a tad too small for him.

"Hey," Lem said softly. Chuck's eyes opened wearily.

"Hey yourself," he retorted, cracking a smile. Lem let out a laugh that was just a little too loud, but he couldn't help it. Relief flooded his small body. He lovingly stroked Chuck's hair, cupping his neck with his other hand.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he breathed in. "You were so… totally… _awesome,_ you know. Back there. You were just… amazing. It was cool," Lem exclaimed, feeling childish and stupid and in love.

"Ahh, you're making my ego even bigger than it already is," Chuck proclaimed, looking off to the side for a moment. He looked back into Lem's eyes and brought his hand up to cup his round, green face. They shared a comfortable silence for a long moment before Lem bent down and placed a soft kiss onto Chuck's lips. It was so gentle and innocent that Chuck felt his chest might explode. He couldn't help himself when he pulled Lem closer, to deepen everything. His head was swimming with emotion. They were alive, both of them, and it felt so wonderful.

A knock on the door made them both jerk away from one another.

"Come in," Chuck called, his voice cracking to his chagrin. The door opened slowly and Vera's head poked around the corner.

"Oh good," she exclaimed, stepping in and closing the door behind her. "I was really hoping I wouldn't walk in on you two smooching or something." She winked knowingly at Chuck while Lem flushed in embarrassment.

"Anyways, I'm here to drop off these," she held up a vase of strange, globular flowers, "and to herald some good news. The blueprints you gave me were enough to get us out of hot water and to shut down all of Glackle's facilities. Everyone involved has either been arrested or will be shortly." She grinned in satisfaction. "And it gets even better. Kennedy got the reports on the rain rocks. They're ecstatic to say the very least. They want to set up a permanent base here on P51, if we can set up an arrangement with the locals, that is, which I'm sure wouldn't be a problem. Shipments of the rocks would be sent back to Earth every two weeks." She beamed. "And here's the kicker! They need people to stay here and run the operation. _Humans_. Of course, I nominated the two of us. Hope you don't mind."

Lem and Chuck stared at her in silent disbelief.

"Are you saying… that we won't have to go back to Earth right away?" Chuck asked, eyes as round as saucers. Vera was practically glowing.

"That is precisely what I'm saying, Captain Baker."

* * *

_Stay tuned for the final chapter! It'll be short, sweet, and completely open-ended.  
I hope everyone's enjoyed my story. I'm so thankful for all of my readers. You guys are really the reason I kept going.  
KEEP BEING AWESOME. 3_

Gregor


	11. Epilogue

At last! The final installment of the (way more successful than I anticipated) fic: Return to Planet 51!  
You have all been such wonderful readers. Thank you so much for sticking with me through the entire thing.

Enjoy the final installment!

~Gregor

* * *

**Epilogue - This Side of Paradise**

It had been three months, three glorious months of peace. The rain rock shipments were going swimmingly, a shuttle landing every two weeks, empty, on the planet's surface, taking off two days later with a large shipment of rocks. Earth had averted its energy crisis, able to expand and create better, more fuel-efficient cars, busses, trains, and especially space shuttles.

It was summer on P51: hot and humid and so satisfying. Lem was throwing an arbitrary party at his newly bought house. It was small and needed a bit of work, but it was finally something he owned, something he could call his own. The party was appropriately called the "Welcome To My New House/Three Months Since the Astraeus Landing" party.

Vera lounged in a cheap, plastic lawn chair, stretched out like a cat in the sun. Her large sunglasses made her look even more alien than she already did. She tilted them down onto her nose slightly, gazing over their tops to eye the approaching Charles Baker with a quirked eyebrow.

"Burgers?" Chuck offered, smiling toothily. He was wearing a ridiculously bright button up shirt that barely deserved to be ceremoniously burned, much less worn.

"I told you, I don't do the floating meat thing," Vera dismissed, coolly pushing her sunglasses back into place. Chuck shrugged and walked over to a tittering Lem. He was attempting to play good host by interacting with several scatterbrained astronomy professors. Chuck caught him laughing at a particularly cheesy joke, teeth bared, eyes pleading for help. Chuck took pity.

"Hey Lem, I still can't figure out how to get these burgers to behave. Mind giving me a hand inside?" Chuck asked with a sly grin. Lem looked relieved.

"Excuse me gentlemen, I must go impart some knowledge. Help yourself to the juice bar! I'll be back in a bit."

Once out of earshot, Lem leaned in close to the human.

"I owe you."

"Hmm… I'll have to think of a fitting way for you to reciprocate, then." Chuck wiggled his eyebrows. All Lem could do was laugh.

They entered the kitchen, scooting around two of Lem's female co-workers. They both waved at Chuck, and left in a fit of giggles. Lem sighed.

"I don't get it. You are such a lady magnet," Lem exclaimed.

"And a dude magnet," Chuck corrected, causing Lem to roll his eyes and take the tray of burgers.

"Whatever. As long as I know you're sticking with me and only me, I'm a happy guy."

"Lem." Chuck gave him a serious look. "You know I meant what I said."

"Yeah, I know… you're just so popular!" Lem protested, setting the burgers on the table.

"I'm all yours, buddy. You should know this." Chuck scolded, moving to look out the kitchen window. The green people milled about in the cramped back yard, making small talk, going back for fifths at the juice bar, and generally enjoying themselves. Vera was passively explaining something to a fascinated Neera and an excited looking Skiff as Rover chased a terrifying looking alien pet around the perimeter.

"I know…" Lem said again, sounding defeated. Chuck turned around with a wicked smile.

"Hey, if you were just asking for some proof, there are much more affective ways to do it," he said, pushing of the counter and swaggering over to Lem, who promptly grew a shade darker, but smiled back with a similar amount of enthusiasm.

"Oh?" he asked innocently, placing his hands at the base of Chuck's neck, brushing a thumb beneath the collar of the human's shirt. "You'll have to teach me what to do next time." Chuck grunted, pushing Lem back against the kitchen table, leaning down to talk right into his ear.

"Well there is this one thing you do with your…"

"Ahem…"

The two of them jumped so badly, Chuck ended up almost four feet away from Lem. His hands snapped to his side as he took in the sight of General Grawl standing awkwardly in the doorway leading to the hall. The three stood there for a moment, Chuck at attention, Lem, whose whole body had become limp, and Grawl, who was making a particularly amusing face without really looking at either of them.

"This didn't happen," Grawl said finally, moving swiftly to the door.

"Yes sir!" Chuck yelled, saluting vigorously as Grawl exited. Lem looked petrified. There was a tense moment of silence before Chuck started shaking with silent laughter. Then the laughter became less silent.

"That wasn't funny!" Lem exclaimed, motioning emphatically towards the door. Chuck wiped tears from his eyes, trying to regain his breathing.

"Oh my god, I disagree, it was so funny," Chuck bellowed, doubling over with more laughter.

"He could tell someone," Lem said soberly.

"Dude, and be a total hypocrite? No, he's sleeping with Vera. He won't say a word," Chuck protested.

"But… he's in the military!"

"Which means he's probably done some awkward experimental group circle-jerking. Don't worry about Grawl. He's got our back," Chuck assured. Lem laughed, despite himself, stepping forward to place a quick, but firm kiss on the man's lips.

"I..." he started, his eyes darting off to the side awkwardly.

"You…?" Chuck prompted.

"I just wanted…" Lem struggled with his words, swallowing thickly. "I've been meaning to say… for a while… that… I…"

Instinctively, Chuck stepped forward. Wrapping his arms tightly around Lem's lower back, he scooped him up into a kiss. This time they did not cut short for fear of someone seeing. This time they were they only two beings that mattered, the rest of the world be damned. Lem threw his arms around Chuck's shoulders, pressing against him as hard as he could, wanting to melt into the beautiful human who was never ashamed to hold Lem with a vulnerable desperation only he was allowed to see.

"I love you," Lem breathed as their lips parted, eyes still closed. Their foreheads were pressed together. Lem could feel Chuck smiling without having to look.

"And I lo-…" Chuck started, but a distant rumbling interrupted the moment, causing the two to open their eyes.

"What's that?" Lem asked, stepping away.

"Sounds like… a ship." Chuck said in disbelief. "But another shuttle isn't due back for another week."

The two rushed out the kitchen door into the back yard. All of the guests looked disturbed and somewhat frightened. Vera had risen from her seat, her sunglasses pushed on top of her head, eyes to the sky. Sure enough, streaking across the horizon was a shimmering Earth shuttle, gleaming as it caught the sun's rays.

"We should go to the landing site. Now," Vera commanded.

It took them almost twenty minutes to get across town to the landing site for Earth shuttles. By the time they arrived, the two humans were standing at attention several feet away from the massive craft. Vera and Chuck approached the two men, greeting them formally.

"Gentlemen. To what do we owe the pleasure?" Chuck asked, smiling amiably.

"We are here on a diplomatic mission. We wish to foster a lasting relationship with the people of Planet 51 and wish to share cultural information. It has been requested by the leaders of several world nations that ambassadors from Planet 51 come to Earth to help promote good public representation and learn of our culture in the same way that we have learned of theirs," the man ended with a curt nod.

Chuck looked at Vera, who returned his gaze. The two shared a rare smile before Vera turned to address the men.

"We'll see what we can do."

**END**

* * *

_Or is it?_


End file.
